XYRIS. 



Carolina. FM. Found in low graffy fields, on a fandy 

 foil, from New Jerfey to Florida. Perennial, flowering 

 from June to Auguft. Heads fmall. Flowers _ yellow. 

 It is extremely variable. Purfi. Vahl thouglit this fpecies 

 diftinft from the laft, in having more rigid haves, and larger 

 heads, wliich are acute, inftead of being remarkably obtufe. 

 '\l\s.t flowers moreover are yellow, not blue. The leaves vary 

 in length. The heads in Lamarck's fpecimcns are longer 

 than thofe of Richard's. Vahl. We have not fecn this 

 fpecies, but it feems that more than one may poflibly here 

 be confounded. 



11. X. toria. Twifted-leaved Xyris. (X. indica; Purth 

 n. I, excluding the fynonyms.) — Leaves linear, fpirally 

 twifted. as well as the ftalk, which is two-edged below, 

 quadrangular at the upper part. Head globofe. Scales 

 polifhed, rounded, fomewhat emarginate, pointlefs, with a 



fmall filky difli Gathered in North America by Kalm. 



Linnaeus confounded his fpecimens with X. indica, which he 

 knew but imperfeftly. They appear, however, to anfwer 

 exadly to the indica of Purfh, who very properly gives an 

 original fpecific charaAer, inftead of copying what did not 

 agree with the plant before liim. He found it in overflowed 

 mqadows, and fmall ponds, from Pcnnfylvania to Virginia ; 

 perennial, bearing yellow Jlowers in June and July. He 

 calls the leaves " longiffime graminea." In our fpecimens 

 tliey are from one to ten inches long, a line broad, acute, 

 many-ribbed, roughifh at the edges, perfedlly graffy ; the 

 outermoft degenerating into broad, (hort, chefnut-coloured, 

 pointed, imbricated fcales. Stalls folitary, about two feet 

 high ; nearly round, though two-edged and ftriated, at the 

 bottom, as well as very much twifted, even more than the 

 kaves ; the upper part is lefs fo, more evidently two-edged ; 

 and towards the top there are four, not always equal, angles. 

 Head\.\\e fize of a large white currant, obtufe, of a fhining 

 chefnut-colour. Scales almoft orbicular, convex ; dilated 

 and thin at the edges ; marked at the back, juft below the 

 notch, with a pale, greenifh, filky fpot. Two or three of 

 the lowermoft of all are fmaller, flatter, a little keeled. 



12. "K. pufilla. Dwarf Broad-leaved Xyris. Brown n. 4. 

 — Stalk two-edged, fmooth, like the fhort, fword-fliaped, 

 two-ranked, equitant leaves. Head orbicular, compreffed, 

 of a few ftiining, fomewhat keeled and pointed, fcales. — 

 Gathered by Mr. Brown, in the tropical part of New Hol- 

 land. Our fpecimens, in the herbarium of the younger 

 Linnseus, were probably given to him when in England, by 

 fir Jofeph Banks and Dr. Solander. The JIatks are from 

 two to fix inches high, pale green, a little zigzag and 

 twifted, fomewhat quadrangular ; (lieathed at the bafe with 

 one or two leaves, which, like thofe that grow from the 

 root, are about an inch long, and two or three lines broad, 

 fiiglitly incurved at the point, of a pale rather fhining green, 

 with feveral ribs, and a finely doited, or reticulated, fnrface 

 in the dry ftate. Head the fize of a pea. Scales orbicular, 

 convex, of a fhining chefnut -brown, pale at the edges : the 

 two lowermoft equal, without Jlowers, in an early ftate 

 covering the whole head, and furnifhcd with a ftrong, green, 

 pointed keel. 



13. X. denliculata. Tooth-leaved Xyris. Br. n. 5 



Stalk roundifh, fmooth. Leaves (hort, hnear-awlfhaped ; 

 rough with minute marginal teeth. Head globofe. Scales 

 orbicular, fhining, keeled at the fummit. — Gathered in the 

 tropical part of New Holland, by fir Jofeph Banks and Dr. 

 Solander, who gave fpecimens to the younger Linnaeus. 

 This is about the fize of the laft, or rather taller. The 

 root confifts of very fmall fibres. Leaves from one to two 

 inches long, not a line broad, their fine reticulations feeming 

 to form the little teeth, at the margin and keel. Stalk 



flender, ftriated or angular towards the top. Head twice 

 the fize of the laft, of more numerous, bright-chefnutyca/«, 

 vyith thin, pale, often jagged margins, and a little green 

 fhort keel, or point, not extending beyond tlie fcale. The 

 two lowermoftyi-a/« are barren, as in the precedmg, and io 

 a young ftate enclofe the whole head. 



14. X. paludofa. Bog Xyris. Brown n. 6 — " Stalk 

 roundifh, fmooth ; angular at the top. Leaves fomewhat 

 tubular ; that of the ftalk longer than the (heath. Head 

 nearly globular. Scales orbicular, (hining, imbricated every 

 way." — Found in the tropical part of New Holland, by 

 fir Jofeph Banks and Dr. Solander. We have feen no fpe- 

 cimen, nor did Mr. Brown himfelf meet with this or the 

 laft fpecies, any more than with the pauciflora hereafter 

 defcribed. 



15. X. capenfis. Cape Xyris. Thunb. Prodr. 12. Fl. 

 Cap. V. I. 310. Willd. n. 4. Vahl n. 6 — Stalk folitary, 

 thread-fhaped, ftriated. Leaves linear, very (hort. Head 

 ovate, acute. Scales ovale, obtufe, fmooth. — Native of 

 hills near Verkeerde valley, at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 flowering in December. Stalk a foot high, or more, flender, 

 fmooth, very finely ftriated. Leaves few, radical, fmooth, 

 many times fhorler than the ftalk. Flowers yellow. Stigmas 

 three, tumid, revolute, whitifh. Thunherg. 



16. X. brevifolta. Short-leaved American Xyris. Mi- 

 chaux Boreal. -Amer. v. i. 23. Vahl n. 7. Purfli n. 3. — 

 " Stalk thread-fhaped. Leaves awl-fhaped, compreffed. 

 Head globofe. Scales oblong ; the outermoft narroweft, 

 keeled." — Native of low boggy meadows, in Lower Caro- 

 lina and Georgia ; perennial, flowering in July. The 

 fmalleft American fpecies. Flowers yellow. Purjli. Leaves 

 narrow, an inch and a half long. Stalk a fpan high, round 

 and flender. Head the fize of a black pepper-corn. Scales 

 broadi(h-oblong. Vahl. 



17. "K. pauctflora. Few-flowered Xyris. Willd. n. 2. 

 Phytogr. 2. t. I. f. I. Vahl n. 8. Br. n. 7. — Stalk quad- 

 rangular. Leaves linear ; rough with minute marginal 

 teeth. Head nearly globular. Scales (hining, orbicular ; 

 fpreading at the point, with a (hort triangular keel. — 

 Gathered by Koenig and Rottler in the Eaft Indies ; and 

 by fir Jofeph Banks, in the tropical part of New Holland. 

 The root is a fmall denfe tuft of pale fibres. Stalk from 

 one to fix or eight inches high, ereft, ftraight, flender, 

 ftriated, rou^hifh. Leaves feveral, ereft, fometimes nearly 

 as tall as the ftalk, graffy, very narrow, taper-pointed, 

 flriated, roughifh, efpecially at the edges, where they are 

 minutely toothed, or crenate, as in A', denticulala, n. 13. 

 Head the fize of a large pea. Scales chefiiut-coloiired, with 

 a membranous, dilated, (hining njargin of a golden yellow, 

 and each tipped with a green, triangular, projeding keel, 

 or point, originating from the brown difk, but not extend- 

 ing beyond the membranous margin, with which it is incor- 

 porated. The prominence of this point, giving the head a 

 fquarrofe afpeft, is well expreffed in Willdenow's, other- 

 wife miferable, figure. The two lowermoft fcales are barren, 

 and clofely preffed to the next. Corolla yellow. 



l^. X. braaeata. Bracleated Xyris. Br. n. 8. — Stalk 

 triangular. Leaves linear ; their margins, and bafe of the 

 keel, rough. Head roundi(h. Scales with a hoary di(k, 

 and brown membranous margin ; the lower ones oblong, 

 empty, with a linear difk. — Sent from Port Jackfon, New 

 South Wales, by Dr. White, in 1792. Mr. Brown found 

 it in the fame country, and we borrow from him the above 

 charafters of the leaves, wanting in our fpecimens. The 

 Jlalk is a foot and a half high, flender and rufhy, bluntly 

 triangular, even, fmooth to the touch, though Mr. Brown 

 remarks that its moft acute angle is rougliifli. Head rather 



ovate 



