X)/ris] XIII. XYRIDE/E. 69 



which bears only a short stiff apiculus ; spikes several-flowered ; 

 bracts membranous, dirty blown, the lowest broadly ovate with 

 a median keel ending in a blunt apiculus, becoming orbicular, 

 through elliptical, to obovate with gradual disappearance of the 

 keel upwards; lateral sepals when opened elliptical, emarginate 

 with a small central mucro, sides subequal, pale brown, becoming 

 translucent and almost colourless towards the margin and deeper 

 towards the glabrous keel ; fruit trigonous, obpyramidal with a 

 rounded rostrate apex, containing a few perfect reddish-brown 

 obovate seeds in the upper part and numerous aborted seeds on 

 the three parietal placentas ; testa marked by fine ridges into 

 longitudinal rows of rectangular areas. 



Leaves 3 to 8 in. long by ^ to | line broad, peduncle 8^ in. 

 long, barely I line wide, sheath If in., apiculus 1 line. Spike 

 (broken) about 2^ lines long by 3 lines broad. Bracts 1 to 1|- 

 lines by about 1 line ; lateral sepals l^ line by -^r line ; fruit 1 

 line long. 



Described from a single specimen bearing fruit only. Appar- 

 ently near X. capensis, but distinguished by its flattened p;'duncle 

 and smaller elliptical sepals. 



HuiLLA. — Leaves rigidulous, not fenestrate ; peduncles thin, erect. 

 Near the chief stream of Mono de LopoUo, where at the end of 

 November 1859 two sparsely fruiting tufts were seen, but afterwards 

 sought in vain. Apparently liked by cattle. No. 2459. 



G. X. nivea Welw. ms. in herb. 



Glabrous, csespitose, base slightly bulbous, root-fibres very 

 slender and flexuose ; leaves stiff, erect, filiform-subulate, flexuose 

 from a short sheath, about half the length of the slender, flexu- 

 ose, wiry, subterete, faintly angled peduncle ; peduncular sheath 

 short, leafless, ending in a short stiff awn ; spikes few-flowered, 

 subglobose with a somewhat flattened top ; bracts broadly ellip- 

 tical to broadly obovate, very obtuse, coriaceous, 3-nerved, entire, 

 a rather dull brown with stramineous scarious easily broken 

 margins ; lateral sepals rather broadly falcately navicular, blunt, 

 obovate when opened out, keel pale brown, scabridulous except 

 near the base ; corolla a splendid white, lobes obovate-elliptical, 

 concave, margin finely plicate-denticulate ; stamens exceeding 

 the pilose staminodes ; style tripartite to the middle ; ovary sub- 

 obovate becoming markedly obovate as it ripens ; seeds pointed 

 elliptical, red. 



Leaves 3 to 5 in. long including sheath (^ to 1 in.) by about i 

 line in diameter. Peduncles a span to scarcely a foot, sheath li 

 to If in. long, spikes '2-}r to 3 lines long and about as broad. Bracts 

 1^ to 2 lines long by 1-]- to If broad. Lateral sepals 2 lines by 

 a little over ^ line when folded; odd sepal crimson above. 

 Anthers f line, filament h line, together about half the length 

 of the petal. 



A distinct species recognised at once by its slender wiry 

 peduncles and stiff filiform leaves. 



