Xyris.] CXXXVIII. XYRIDEJ3. 1649 



Var. albi/los. Plant from all appearance annual. Leaves in radical tuds somewhat 

 crimson-coloured, rather flattish and falcate with a slight twiat, none atlaining lin. 

 in length. Scape about 4in. high, reddish in the lower half, slightly flexuose and flattened. 

 Flower-head ovoid, about 2 lines long, the scales brown with a few hairs at the top, and hyaline 

 njargins. Bracteoles thin, of lighter colour, and slightly keeled. Perianth white, segments 

 ovate-lanoeolate. Anthers rather large on filaments not quite so long as the anther and twisted, 

 dorsally attached. Capsule oblong, the placentas adnate to the apex of the valves. Seeds very 

 numerous, striate, of a deep golden yellow, oblong, ovate to somewhat fusiform. 



Hab.: Fraser Island, Hon. Miss Lovell. 



Upon careful examination of the above plant, I find it only to differ from other varieties or 

 forms in its deep-coloured foliage and white flowers. It was found on damp sandy soil, 

 in company with another small variety of the species, and which I think probably is Eobt. 

 Brown's X. piisUla, This has the same deep-coloured leaves, but the flowers are yellow. 



3. X. gracilis (slender). E. Br. Prod. 256 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vii. 79. Very 

 similar to the narrow-headed specimens of X. operculata, and not always easy to 

 distinguish from them. Leaves usually shorter, flatter, and more twisted, 

 sometimes nearly 1 line broad, but in some varieties as narrow as in that species. 

 Flower-heads ovoid-oblong, the scales black and entire. Bracteoles smooth and 

 shining, entire, without dorsal wings. Inner perianth-segments very broad, but 

 rather smaller than in X. operculata. Ovary partially 3-celled, the placentas 

 confluent at the base, with linear erect ovules, and not extending much up the 

 sides of the cavity.— Hook. f. PI. Tasm. ii. 69 ; X. jmicea, R. Br. Prod. 256. 



Hab.: Brisbane Eiver and towards Wallangarra. 



4. X. operculata (top of capsule lid-like), Labill. PL Nov. Holl. i. 14, 

 t. 10 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vii. 79. Stock perennial, with persistent tufts of 

 distichous shining brown leaf-sheaths, some of them produced into very narrow 

 almost subulate leaves, mostly under Gin. long. Scapes slender, 1 to l^ft. high, 

 enclosed at the base in a rather long sheath without any lamina in the centre of 

 the tuft of leaves. Flower-head from ovoid to globular attaining sometimes 4 to 

 6 lines diameter, but often much smaller, the scales black, broad and rounded, 

 entire or the inner ones denticulate or fringed at the end. Bracteoles opaque 

 with scarious margins, the prominent keel usually ciliate or fringed at the end. 

 Inner perianth-segments very broadly obovate, 4 to 6 lines diameter. Anthers 

 deeply lobed at the base and shortly so at the upper end. Staminodia filiform, 

 with a dense tuft of jointed hairs. Style rather long, the. termiTial stigmas 

 variously dilated. Placentas of the ovary more or less cohering in the axis, and 

 continued to the apex of the cavity, though sometimes at length detached from 

 the sides. Capsule obovoid, the hardened apex usually falling ofi" entire; the 

 lower part only splitting into valves. — R. Br. Prod. 257 ; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. 

 ii. 69 ; Bot. Mag. t. 1158 ; Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 205. 



Hab.: Islands of Moreton Bay and about Stanthorpe. 



The species varies much in stature, in the size of the heads, and in the scales of the 

 flower-beads, either distinctly' superposed in five rows or more or less irregularly imbricate, the 

 ■outer empty ones few or numerous, and the flowering ones almost all quite entire or more or 

 less jagged or fringed. — Benth. 



Order CXXXIX. COMMELINACEJE. 



Flowers hermaphrodite or rarely polygamous, usually slightly irregular. 

 Perianth of 6 segments, free or rarely united at the base, more distinctly repre- 

 senting a calyx and corolla than in any other syncarpous Monocotyledons, 3 

 outer ones thin and membranous or herbaceous, much imbricate, the outermost 

 often smaller, 3 inner very delicate and petal-like, spreading, one often rather 

 different in shape or size from the others. Stamens 6 or fewer by abortion, 

 attached to the base of the segments or almost hypogynous ; anthers when 

 perfect 2-eelled. the cells onening laterally or inwards in longitudinal slits or 



