XER 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



XER 



821 



with the imbricated, deeply furrowed, permanent sheaths of 

 the last year's foliage, each crowned with the reflexed base 

 of a leaf, by which the whole branch assumes a singular 

 scaly appearance. Native of Madagascar. 



Xerotes; a genus of the class Direcia, order Hexandria. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix : perianth of six re- 

 gular, ovate, coloured leaves ; the three innermost, or perhaps 

 all the six, connected at the base. Corolla: none, unless 

 the calix be so called. Stamina: filamenta six, very short, 

 inserted into the base of each leaf of the calix ; antherse 

 orbicular, peltate. Some rudiments of a pistil. Female. 

 Calix: perianth of six separate permanent leaves. Corolla: 

 none. Stamina: imperfect. Pistil: germen superior, ovate, 

 with three furrows; styles three, short, combined at the 

 base; stigmas obtuse. Pericarp: capsule cartilaginous, 

 coated, of three cells and three valves, with partitions from 

 the centre of each valve. Seeds: solitary, peltate. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Male. Calix: of six leaves, three 

 innermost combined at the base. Corolla: none. Anthera: 

 peltate. Female. Calix: of six separate permanent leaves. 

 Styles: three. Capsule: superior, coated, of three cells; 

 valves with central partitions. Seeds: peltate, solitary. 

 This genus consists of perennial herbs, of a dry rigid tex- 

 ture ; root fibrous ; stem none, or generally very short ; leaves 

 grassy, linear; the flowers terminating the stem, or radical 



stalk, either panicled, racemose, spiked, or capitate. The 



species are, 



* Female flowers in solitary heads ; Leaves entire at the 

 extremity. 



1. Xerotes Flexifolia; Spiral-leaned Xerotes. Stem some- 

 what branched, woody at the base, about a foot high ; leaves 

 shorter than the branches, two-ranked, twisted, their edges 

 rough with minute teeth, their points withering, acute, an inch 

 or an inch and half long; male spikes interrupted, somewhat 

 branched, longer than the leaves; male flowers small, whit- 

 ish, separated into little whorl-like tufts, accompanied by 

 brown scaly bractes ; female flowers rather larger, in round 

 solitary heads, terminating short leafy branches in the forks 

 of the stem. Native of New South Wales. 



.2. Xerotes Mucronata; Pointed Xerotes. Stem somewhat 

 branched ; leaves shorter than the branches, but longer than 

 the male spikes, two-ranked, straight, or slightly twisted ; 

 their points withering, acute ; their margins roughish, with 

 very minute teeth, dilated and entire at the base. Native of 

 Port Jackson. 



3. Xerotes Collina; Hill Xerotes. Leaves taller than the 

 stem, narrow and straight, rough, with marginal teeth, 

 withering and very acute at the point, dilated and jagged at 

 the base; head of female flowers sessile. Found on the 

 southern coast of New Holland. 



4. Xerotes Glauca ; Glaucous Xerotes. Leaves taller than 

 the stem, narrow and straight, withering, and bluntish at the 

 point, rough, with marginal teeth, dilated and jagged at the 

 base; tufts of flowers in the male spikes sessile. Found on 

 the south coast of New Holland. 



5. Xerotes Leucocephala ; White-headed Xerotes. Male, 

 as well as female floweis, capitate ; receptacle woolly ; leaves 

 narrow, smooth-edged, longer than the perfectly simple stalk, 

 bearing one or two heads of flowers ; stem short. Native of 

 the tropical part of New Holland. 



** Female flowers racemose or spiked; male one racemose or 

 panicled ; partial stalks scattered ; flowers drooping. 



6. Xerotes Pauciflora; Few-flowered Xerotes. Flowers 

 few in the male cluster, in distant whorls ; leaves very nar- 

 row, acute, and smooth, dilated and entire at the base, shorter 

 than the dirided stem. Found near Port Jackson. 



7. Xerotes Filiformis ; Thread-shaped Xerotes. Leaves 

 thread-shaped, semicylindrical, elongated, flattened in front, 

 rough-edged, finely striated at the back, round at the point, 

 a span long or more in length, erect, rigid, very slender : 

 male cluster scarcely branched ; flowers scattered, or in pairs, 

 drooping, whitish, small; the outer segments of the calix 

 smaller and more membranous than the inner; bractes awl- 

 shaped, acute at the base of the partial stalks ; root woody ; 

 stem short, scarcely any. There are three varieties. The 

 first, with the male perianth nearly globular, twice the length 

 of the partial stalk: the second, with the male perianth nearly 

 globular, and the partial stalk longer than that part, or the 

 bractes: the third, male perianth turbinate ; partial stalk 

 shorter than it, or the bractes. The leaves appear to vary in 

 breadth and flatness. Found near Port Jackson. 



8. Xerotes Tenuifolia ; Fine-leaved Xerotes. Leaves 

 thread-shaped, elongated, channelled in front, deeply striated 

 at the back; male clusters somewhat divided, their branches 

 alternate; stem short. Found on the southern coast of New 

 Holland. 



9. Xerotes Gracilis; Slender Xerotes. Leaves very long 

 and narrow, channelled, stiiated beneath, flat and entire at 

 the point ; male panicles lax, alternately branched ; partial 

 stalks solitary; stem short. Found near Port Jackson. 



10. Xerotes Denticulata; Small-toothed Xerotes. Leaves 

 elongated, thread-shaped, compressed, channelled, with two 

 or three terminal teeth; male clusters simple or divided; 

 stem short. Found at Port Jackson. 



11. Xerotes Laxa; Loose-flowered Xerotes. Leaves elon- 

 gated, linear, flat, entire at the point; male panicles loose, 

 with whorled branches, and distant, clusters; partial stalks soli- 

 tary, shorter than the nearly globular perianth, but longer 

 than their minute bractes. Found in New South Wales. 



'* Flowers either spiked or panicled, their branches or tufts 

 opposite or whorled. Male Perianths sessile, imbricated with 

 bractes. Capsule smooth. Leaves toothed at the end. 



12. Xerotes Rigida; Rigid Xerotes. Stem very short ; stalks 

 and spikes much shorter than the foliage ; leaves two-ranked, 

 cartilaginous, convex beneath, abrupt, with two marginal teeth 

 at the end, smooth at the edges, dilated and entire at the base, 

 a span long, full a quarter of an inch broad, thick, rigid, 

 smooth, greatly dilated, and bordered with a membrane at 

 the base, singularly abrupt, and three-pointed at the end ; 

 common flower-stalk terminal, thick, sharply two-edged, 

 sometimes triangular, smooth ; tufts of flowers one above 

 another, not numerous, forming an interrupted, branched, 

 upright spike, each accompanied by several unequal, lanceo- 

 late, acute bractes ; three alternate stamina longer than the 

 rest, and bear cloven not bordered antheree. Found in the 

 south part of New Holland. 



13. Xerotes Montana; Mountain Xerotes. Stem none; 

 leaves elongated, linear, flat, membranous, smooth-edged, 

 their sharp point with two very short lateral teeth ; female 

 spike undivided, many times shorter than its stalk. Found 

 near Port Jackson. 



14. Xerotes Fluviatilis ; River Xerotes. Stem none ; leaves 

 elongated, narrow, channelled, smooth-edged, two or three 

 toothed, with an acute sinus at the extremity; female spikes 

 divided or simple; bractes rather rigid, twice as long as the 

 tufts of flowers. Found on the banks of rivers in New South 

 Wales. 



15. Xerotes Longifolia ; Long-leaved Xerotes. Stem none ; 

 leaves elongated, linear, coriaceous, erect, irregularly toothed 

 at the point, rough-edged, a foot and half long, somewhat 

 striated, dilated at the base, and bordered in that part with a 

 membrane, which at length separates, and becomes torn : 



