MACLOSKIE : IRIDACE^E. 313 



often petaloid and subdivided. Embryo enclosed in horny or fleshy 

 endosperm. 



Species 1,000, cosmopolitan. 



GENERIC ANALYSIS. 



A. Style -branches forked. Bulbous plants. Tepals subsimilar. i. Nemastylis, p. 313. 

 A2. Style-branches simple. Usually with rhizomes. 



b. Filaments free, or connate only at base. 2. Libertia, p. 313. 



b2. Filaments partly united into a tube. 

 c. Spathe many-flowered. 



d. Perianth -tube short 3. Sisyrinchium, p. 314. 



d2. Perianth-tube rather long. 4. Symphyostemon, p. 318. 



c2. Spathe I -flowered. Low, cespitose plants. 5. Tapeinia, p. 3 1 9. 



1. NEMASTYLIS Nutt. 



Bulbs usually sending up branching stems with long, linear, folded 

 leaves, and i or more pediceled flowers from the spathe. Tepals all 

 similar, fugacious. Filaments partly united. Style-branches filiform, 

 themselves forked, alternate with the anthers. Capsule subovoid. 



(Fig. in Eng. & Prantl, ii. 5, p. 148.) 



Species 10, S. Amer. and N. to Tenn. 



N. FURCATA Klatt. 



Stem 25 cm. high, simple below, flexuous, glabrous ; leaves long, lance- 

 ensiform, the base broad-sheathing; cauline leaf basi-cucullate. Bracts 

 ovate-lanceolate, keeled, cuspidate, thin-margined. .Spathe i -flowered, 

 2-valved. Flowers erect, yellow, anthers yellow. Seeds castaneous. 



(Montevideo) ; N. Patagon. 



2. LIBERTIA Spreng. 



Rhizomes creeping. Leaves basal, distichous; the few stem-leaves 

 reduced. Flowers in simple or compound umbels, the inner tepals larger 

 than the outer, white or greenish ; stamens 3, free or basi-connate ; styles 

 alternate with the anthers, involute-filiform, the spathes not enclosing'the 

 pediceled flowers. 



Species 8, some in Chili, others in N. Zeal, and S. Australia. (Fig. 

 in Eng. & Prantl, ii, 5, p. 150.) 



