XEROTES. 



Nat. Ord. Trlpettthidet, Linn. Junc'i, Jufl". Juncetc, 

 Brown. 



Gen. Ch. Male, Cal. Perianth of fix regular, ovate, co- 

 loured leaves ; the three innermoft, or perhaps all the fix, 

 connefted at the bafe. Cor. none, unlefs the calyx be fo 

 called. Stam. Filaments fix, very (hort, inf^rted into the 

 bafe of each leaf of the calyx ; anthers orbicular, peltate. 

 Some rudiments of a pijltl. 



Female, Cal. Perianth of fix feparate, permanent leaves. 

 Cor. none. Stam. iniperfeft. Ptji. Germen fuperior, 

 ovate, with three furrows ; ftyles three, fiiort, combined at 

 the bafe ; ftigmas obtufe. Perk. Capfiile cartilaginous, 

 coated, of three cells and three valves, with partitions from 

 the centre of each valve. Seeds folitary, peltate. 



Elf. Ch. Male, Calyx of fix leaves ; three innermoft 

 combined at the bafe. Corolla none. Anthers peltate. 



Female, Calyx of fix feparate, permanent leaves. Styles 

 three. Capfule fuperior, coated, of three cells ; valves 

 with central partitions. Seeds peltate, folitary. 



This New Holland genus confifts of perennial herbs, of 

 a dry rigid texture, and a peculiar afpeft, refembling the 

 Juncl and Calamarix. Root fibrous. Stem none, or gene- 

 rally very (hort ; fometimes divided, and clothed with 

 fheathing foliage. Leaves graffy, linear, either flat or 

 channelled, rarely thread-ftiaped ; their bafe dilated, mem- 

 branous, half fheathing ; their extremity fometimes toothed. 

 Flowers terminating the Jlem, or radical j'?a/i, either panicled, 

 racemofe, fpiked, or capitate. Inner leaves of the calyx 

 often different from the outer in texture or Cze. When 

 the Jlotuers are feflile, they are invefted with imbricated 

 membranous braSeas ; the male ones are fometimes ftalked, 

 without braP.eas. Bark of the capfule at length feparating, 

 and occafionally a little pulpy. In fome fpecies, the fliin 

 of the feed adheres fo loofely, as to referable a diftinft tunic. 

 The embryo is longitudinal, flraight, in the bottom of a car- 

 tilaginous albumen. Xerotes is allied in many points to the 

 PalMjE. See that article. Brown. 



Seft. I. Female flowers in folitary heads. Leaves entire 

 at the extremity. 



1. %. flexifolla. Spiral-leaved Xerotes. Br. n. i. (Dra- 

 csena obliqua ; Thunb. Dracxn. 6. t. i. f. 2.) — Stem 

 fomewhat branched. Leaves fhorter than the branches, 

 two-ranked, twilled ; their edges rough with minute teeth ; 

 their points withering, acute. Male fpikes interrupted, 

 fomewhat branched longer than the leaves. — Native of 

 New South Wales, from whence fpecimens were fent 

 us by Dr. White. The flem is about a foot high ; woody 

 at the bafe ; more or lefs branched above, clothed with 

 numerous, narrow, fmooth, ftriated leaves, an inch or an 

 inch and a half long, fpreading in two direftions ; their 

 fheathing bafes imbricated, and bordered with a long, 

 thin, torn, flipulaceous membrane at each fide. Male 



flowers fmall, whitirti, in long, moftly branched, rigid- 

 ftalked fpikes or cluflers, feparated into little whorl-like 

 tufts, accompanied by brown fcaly brap.eas. Female 



flowers rather larger, in round folitary heads, terminating 

 fhort leafy branches in the forks of the Item. 



2. X. mucronata. Pointed Xerotes. Br. n. 2 " Stem 



fomewhat branched. Leaves fhorter than the branches, 

 but longer than the male fpikes, two-ranked, flraight, or 

 (lightly twifted ; their points withering, acute ; their margins 

 roughifh, with very minute teeth ; dilated and entire at the 

 bafe." — G.ithered by Mr. Brown, near Port Jackfon, New 

 South Wales, as well as the foregoing. 



3. X. collina. Hill Xerotes. Br. n. 3. — " Leaves taller 

 than the ftem, narrow and flraight; rough with marginal 

 teeth ; withering and y^rj^ acute at the point ; dilated and 



jagged at the bafe. Head of female flowers I'efTlle." 



Found by Mr. Brown, on the fouthern coaft of New 

 Holland. 



4. X.glauca. Glaucous Xerotes. Br. n. 4. — " Leaves 

 taller than the ftem, narrow and flraight ; withering and 

 bluntifh at the point ; rough with marginal teeth ; dilated 

 and jagged at the bafe. Tufts of flowers in the male 

 fpikes fcffile." — Gathered on the fouth coaft of New Hol- 

 land by Mr. Brown. 



5. X. hucocephala. White-headed Xerotes. Br. n. 5. 

 — " Male, as well as female, flowers capitate. Receptacle 

 woolly. Leaves narrow, fmooth-edged, longer than the 

 perfeiflly finiple flalk, bearing one or two heads of flowers. 

 Stem fhort." — Gathered by Mr. Brown, in the tropical 

 part of New Holland. 



Se£l. 2. Female floiuers racemofe or fplhed : male ones 

 racemofe or panicled ; partial flalks fctttered ; flowers drooping. 



6. X. panclflora. Few-flowered Xerotes. Br. n. 6. — 

 " Flowers few in the male clufter, in diftant whorls. 

 Leaves very narrow, acute and fmooth ; dilated and entire 

 at the bafe ; fhorter than the divided ftem." — Found by 

 Mr. Brown, near Port Jackfon, New South Wales. 



7. X. jillformls. Thread-fliaped Xerotes. Br. n. 7. 

 (Dracaena filiformis ; Thunb. Drac. 4. t. i. f. i.) — Leaves 

 thread-fhaped, femicylindrical, elongated ; flattened in 

 front ; rough-edged ; finely ftriated at the back ; round 

 at the point. Male clufter fcarcely branched. Stem 

 fhort — Gathered near Port Jackfon, New South Wales, 

 by Dr. White, and Mr. Brown. The root is woody. 

 Stem fcarcely any. Leaves feveral, a fpan or more in 

 length, eredl, rigid, very flender ; flattened and whitilli in 

 front, with a green, ftriated, central furrow ; convex at the 

 back. We do not find that the point is always, as Mr. 

 Brown fays, round or cylindrical. Cluflers much fhorter 

 than the leaves, branched in our fpecimens, as in Thun- 

 berg's figure, ereft, lax, with rough ftalks. Flowers fcat- 

 tered, or in pairs, drooping, whitifh, fmall ; the outer feg- 

 ments of the calyx fmaller, and more membranous than the 

 inner. BraBeas awl-fhapcd, acute, at the bafe of the partial 



flalks. Mr. Brown notices three varieties : k, male perianth 

 nearly globular, twice the length of the partial ftalk : /3, male 

 perianth nearly globular ; partial ftalk longer than that part, 

 or the brafteas : 7, male perianth turbinate ; partial ftalk 

 fhorter than it, or the braileas. The leaves feem variable 

 in breadth and flatnefs. 



8. X. tenulfolta. Fine-leaved Xerotes. Br. n. 8. — 

 " Leaves thread-fhaped, elongated ; channelled in front ; 

 deeply ftriated at the back. Male cluflers fomewhat divided, 

 their branches alternate. Stem fhort." — Obferved by 

 Mr. Brown, on the fouthern coaft of New Holland. 



9. X. gracilis. Slender Xerotes. Br. n. 9. — " Leaves 

 very long and narrow, channelled ; ftriated beneath ; flat 

 and entire at the point. Male panicles lax, alternately 

 branched ; partial ftalks folitary. Stem fhort." — Found 

 by Mr. Brown at Port Jackfon. 



10. X. dentlculata. Small-toothed Xerotes. Br. n. 10. 

 — " Leaves elongated, thread-fhaped, compreffed, chan- 

 nelled, with two or three terminal teeth. Male cluflers 

 fimple or divided. Stem fliort." — Gathered by Mr. Brown 

 at Port Jackfon. We have fome fpecim.ens which anfwer 

 to this drfcriptijn, in the teeth of their leaves, but they 

 feem nearly akin to X. jillformls to be feparated from that 

 fpecies, and they exaftly accord with I'hn; berg's ^^. i, 

 drawn from a dried fpecinien. We are not, however, cer- 

 tain of their being Mr. Brown's dentlculata. 



11. X. laxa. Loole-flowered Xerotes. Br. n. it. — 

 " Leaves elongated, linear, flat, entire at the point. Male 



panicles 



