LII. EEIOCAULONE^. 871 



LI. FLAGELLAMEyE, Endlicher. 



Brongniart places near Bestiacece Flagellariew, composed of the genera Flagel- 

 laria and Joinvillea, of which the following are the characters : — Flowbes 5 . Sepals 

 3, distinct. Petals 3, distinct, scarious, like the sepals. Stamens 6, hypogynous, 

 free; anthers introrse. Ovaet of 8 1-ovuled cells; stigmas 3, apical, divergent, 

 filiform, papillose within from bottom to top ; ovules pendulous by a short funicle 

 from the top of each ceU, orthotropous, micropyle inferior. Fettit a 1-2-seeded 

 berry. Seed with crustaceous testa ; albumen farinaceous. Embeto minute, anti- 

 tropous, lenticular, outside the albumen, covered with an embryotegium. — Eeedy or 

 sarmentose heebs. Leaves with long sheaths and parallel nerves. 



Herbs of tropical Asia, Australia and New Caledonia. 



LII. ERIOCAULONEJS. 

 (JuNCOEUM genera, Jussieu. — Eeiocaulonb^, L.-G. Richard.) 



Elowees monoecious or dioecious. Peeianth inferior, double, the outer 2-S-phyl- 

 lous, the inner sub-tubular, S-2-fid. Stamens double the number of the perigonial 

 leaflets, inserted on the inner, the alternate often sterile, Ovaet superior, of 2—3 

 1-ovuled cells ; ovules pendulous, orthotropous. Capsule 2-B-celled, loculicidal. 

 Seeds albuminous. Embeto globose or sub-lenticular, antitropous, outside the albumen. 

 — Stem or scape. Leaves caulirie or radical, sem^i-sheathing. Elowees in a 

 capitulum. 



Heebs inhabitrag swamps or flooded grounds, perennial, stemless, rarely 

 caulescent, very rarely snffrutescent. Leaves linear, sub-fleshy, entire, sometimes 

 fistular, nerves striate, semi-sheathing at the base, the radical crowded, the cauline 

 alternate. Elowees minute, united into an involucrate capitulum, on a usually 

 fleshy receptacle, incomplete, moncecious in the same capitulum, or rarely dioecious, 

 each furnished with a bract, and accompanied by hairs or scales. Peeianth double, 

 the inner usually discoloured. — Elowees 5 : Outer peeianth of 2 lateral sepals, 

 or 3, of which 1 is posterior ; inner tubular, sub-campanulate ; limb 2-fid or 3-toothed 

 or 3-fid ; segments imbricate, equal, or the anterior largest, aestivation imbricate. 

 Stamens inserted on the tube of the inner perianth, equal and opposite to its divi- 

 sions, or twice as many ; some larger, opposite to these divisions ; the others smaller, 

 alternate, often antherless or rudimentary ; filaments subulate, inflexed in aestivation ; 

 anthers 2-celled, very rarely 1-celled, dprsifixed, dehiscence longitudinal. Eudi- 

 mentary ovaeies 3-2, glanduliform or tuberculiform. — Elowees ?: Inner and outer 

 PEEIANTHS 3- rarely 2-phyllous, the inner leaflets most delicate, sometimes replaced by 

 3 bundles of hairs {Lachnocaulon, Tonina), sometimes the claws distinct and blades 

 coherent {Philodice); staminodes 0. Ovaet free, of 3-2 carpels, sometimes with a 

 second series of superimposed and sterile carpels, simulating inner stigmas {Prnpa- 

 lanthnis); style terminal, very short; stigmas as many as carpels, simple or 2-fid, 



