( he old dead leaves hang 1 down mid form a mat like petticoat round 
I he upper purl of the eaudex. The dead and living leaves thus 
produce a sor! of hour-glass shape instead of (he more rounded 
bushy elump of the other species. Its stem is not so easily burnt 
and channelled, by hush tires,, though its leaf liases when broken 
up are more inflammable than those of the common blaekboy. An- 
other point is that in tile pithy (-ore a well developed woody cone 
is present in the base of A. rejte.va. in X. Preissii this is not so 
evident, and may be absent. The former generally has a simple 
stem, sometimes attaining Id or Hi feet, as at I kipany inning. 
These (wo species are the only described arborescent ones in the 
South-West. It is possible (and probable) that there is a further 
speeies in the interior. Spencer Moore noticed it at Yitgarn, Giles 
at Queen Victoria Springs, and the Elder Exploring Expedition at 
Gamp 55, in the Victoria Desert. Messrs. II. \\ . H. Talbot and E. 
de Oourcy Clarke, of the Geological Survey, have seen them North 
of Wiluna and East, of I. avert on. They attain a height of about 
15 feet. No specimens have yet been obtained, so that it remains 
to be seen if it is distinct from those already described from this or 
other States. 
One stemless speeies lias been described from the South-West. 
This is \. (jrarlli. s, a very common species with a slender, graceful 
scape 1 and a small cylindrical spike of flowers. Two new species 
described below, approach acquiescence, but their short caudiees 
often protrude a few inches above the ground. These are X 
hrevisl/jlu , n.sp. and A. naira, n. sp. Doth are closely related to X. 
Preissii, but are easdy distinguished, the former by its short style, 
and the latter by the large capsule valves; other differences are con- 
tained in the descriptions. A. brevislgla might sometimes be taken 
for X. gracilis, for it frequently possesses the slender scape and very 
short spike of this plant, but generally its inflorescence is more like 
that, of the common blaekboy, though the dowering part is shorter. 
XANTU'OJUMIOKA BHWV1STYUA, Sp. 110Y. 
Caadea underground or very slightly protruding above ground, 
so that the plant is caespilose. It is frequently branched so that a 
number of leaf-clumps occur in a cluster. 
Leaves triangular in section, llattened, about three I eel long 
and rather tough in comparison with V. Preissii and X.. rejlexu . 
Pa , sr of leaves llattened, not curved. 
Scape- up to about six feet high, less than half occupied by 
the spike which is sometimes as short as m X. gracilis. 1 eduncle 
glaucous, slender, sometimes as much as iu X. gracilis. 
Brads narrow, linear, spathulate. 
Bradeoles- — narrow, linear, spathulate. 
Perianth segment s- inner four lines long and not one line 
broad, with a spreading hyaline apex; outer, shorter. 
