Hypoxis. HYPOXIDACEiE. 289 



Order CXIII. HYPOXIDACEjE. R. Brown. The Star-grass Tribe. 



Perianth regular, 6-parted, petaloid, persistent. Stamens 6 : anthers introrse, 

 erect. Ovary cohering with the tuhe of the perianth (or inferior), 3-celled, 

 with numerous ovules in each cell : style simple : stigmas 3, or united. Fruit 

 dry and capsular or baccate, indehiscent, 3- (or by abortion one-) celled, 

 several- or many-seeded. Seeds roundish. Embryo straight, in the axis of 

 fleshy albumen. 



1. HYPOXIS. Linn.; Endl. gen. 1264. STAR-GRASS. 



[From the Greek, hypo, beneath, and oxys, sharp ; the base of the fruit being acute.] 



Segments of the perianth persistent. Capsule 3-celled, elongated, crowned with the withered 

 perianth, many-seeded. — Perennial herbs, of various habit, and probably including more 

 than one genus ; the North American species with linear radical leaves, and 2 - 4-flowered 

 scapes. 



1. Hypoxis erecta, Linn. Common Star-grass. 



Hairy ; leaves linear and grass-like ; scape mostly shorter than the leaves, 3 - 4-flowered ; 

 the flower somewhat umbellate. — Linn. sp. (ed. 2 ) 1. p. 439; Bot. mag. t. 710; Pursh, 

 fl. 1. p. 224 ; Ell. sk. 1. p. 396 ; Bart. fl. N. Am. 1. i. 35. /. 1 ; Torr.jl. 1. p. 342 ; Bigel. 

 fl. Bost. p. 130; Beck, bot. p. 355; Dariingt. fl. Cest. p. 219. H. Carolinianum, Michx. 

 fl. 1. p. 188. 



Root bulbous, solid, ovoid. Leaves all radical, about 2 lines wide. Scape 4-6 inches 

 high, slender, mostly 4-flowered, rarely one-flowered ; the pedicels with subulate bracts at 

 the base. Perianth yellow inside, hairy and greenish outside : segments spreading, oblong, 

 rather obtuse. Stamens much shorter than the corolla, unequal : anthers linear-oblong, the 

 cells separate at each extremity. Style rather shorter than the stamens, triangular : stigmas 

 decurrent on the angles of the style. Capsule 3-celled, not opening. Seeds numerous, ovoid, 

 angular, black. 



Dry open woods : common. Fl. May - October. 



[Floiia — Vol. 2.] 



37 



