CXXVI. BUEMANNIACE^. 15ia. 



1. BURMANNIA, Lind. 



(After J. Burmann.) 

 (Gonyanthes, Miers.) 

 Perianth tubular, 8-winged or 3-angled, the three inner lobes smaller or 

 wanting. Anthers 8, sessile or nearly so, below the inner perianth lobes, the 

 cells short, separated by a broad connective, opening transversely, with a small 

 crested appendage behind each cell. Ovary 3-celled. Capsule opening between 

 the dissepiments. — Herbs with radical leaves or all the leaves rarely reduced to- 

 scales. Flowers sessile or pedicellate along the branches of a forked cyme,. 

 reduced sometimes to a single flower. 



The sjenus is common to the New and the Old World. One and probably both the Australian, 

 species have a wide range over East India and the Archipelago. — Benth. 



Kadical leaves lanceolate. Flowers several in a once-forked cyme. Perianth 



at least twice as long as broad ' \. B. tJii^ticliu.. 



Leaves linear-setaceous, very small. Flowers solitary or few. Perianth with 



the wings as broad as long 2, B. juncea. 



1. B. disticha (2-rowed), Linn. Spec. 411; Benth. Fl. Ait.4r. vi.. 

 897. Stems simple or scarcely branched, erect, glabrous, attaining 1 to 2ft.. 

 Leaves chiefly radical, sessile, sheathing at the base, iSnceolate, acute, spreading- 

 all under lin. in most specimens, 2 to 25in. long in luxuriant ones ; a few along 

 the stem sometimes similar to the radical ones but smaller and more erect, or- 

 more frequently reduced to sheathing scales. Flowers green more or less tinged 

 with blue, or in the Australian specimens more frequently of a deep blue, in a 

 once-forked cyme, sometimes very compact sometimes each branch 1 to 2in. long. 

 Bracts shorter than the flower. Perianth including the wings about \m. long^ 

 and scarcely -Jin.' broad, the 8 outer lobes ovate, concave, not half so long as the 

 tube, the dorsal wings commencing about the middle of the lobes, truncate or- 

 rounded at the top, and continued along the tube to the base of the ovary, 

 tapering into the short pedicel ; inner lobes of the perianth oblong-linear,, 

 from half as long to nearly as long as the outer ones. Anthers immediately 

 under the inner lobes, the cells small, separated by a prominent connective- 

 the dorsal appendages nearly as long as the cells. Capsule usually occupying 

 about half the length of the perianth, but sometimes continued higher up,, 

 opening at the top between the ridges with a disposition to split transversely 

 as observed by Thwaites. — Eoxb. Corom. PI. t. 242 ; B. distachya, E. Br. Prod.. 

 265. 



Hab.: Abundant in the southern coastal swamps. 



2. B. juncea (Eush-like), Soland. in B. Br. Prod. 265 ; Benth. Fl. Aiistr.. 

 vi. 897. Stems very slender, almost filiform, 6in. to near 1ft. high. Leaves 

 few at the base of the stem, linear filiform, J to Jin. long, and sometimes one or- 

 two smaller ones higher up, but the stem usually with only a few small distant 

 scales. Flowers sometimes only one at the end of the stem, sometiines in a 

 once-forked cyme with 2 to 4 on each branch, all on short slender pedicels. 

 Perianth including the wings about 8 lines long and quite as broad when in fruit,, 

 the outer lobes broad and only f line long, the inner lobes very minute in the 

 flower examined, the dorsal wings rounded at both ends. Anthers at a little- 

 distance below the inner lobes. Ovary and capsule occupying about half the 

 length of the tube, the capsule usually opening by a transversely oblique fissure. 



Hab.: Endeavour River, Banlcs and flolander. 



