THE FLORA OF THE MALAY· PENINSULA

Philydrum.] CXLIX. PHIL YDRACE1E. 347
1. PHILYDRUM, Banks.
Leaves long ensiform. Spike elongate. Species 1.
(I) Ph. lanuginoswn Banks, Gaertn. Fruct. 62, t. 16, fig. 10;
Bot. Mag. t. 7B3; Griff. Notulce, iii. 231; Ic. Pl. As. t. 269, 270;
Hook. fil. F.B.I. vi. 363; Rzdl. Mat. ii. lIO. (Fig. 201, p. 346.)
Leaves ensiform, IB in. long, '5 in. wide. Stem 30 in. tall.
Spike simple or branched. Floral bracts lanceolate acuminate
woolly, '5 in. long. Petals fugacious, woolly lanceolate, '25 in.
long. Anther-cells twisted spirally. Capsule woolly, '25 in. long.
H abo In shallow water, rice-fields, etc. Singapore at Bedok. Malacca;
common, Bukit Sabukor; Tanjong Kling; Ayer Panas. Province
Wellesley (Curtis). Dzstrzb. Burma, Andamans, China, Malaya.
ORDER CL. XYRIDElE.
Tufted herbs with stiff, grassy leaves, and simple scapes, naked,
bearing a short terminal head of stiff dark brown imbricating bracts.
Flowers sessile bisexual, fugacious, yellow. Bracteoles (or sepals)
3, boat-shaped, unequal. Petals 3, clawed, orbicular, often laciniate,
yellow. Stamens 3; anthers sagittate. Staminodes 3. Ovary
free, imperfectly 3-celled; placentas 3; ovules many; style trifid;
stigmas capitate. Capsule 3-valved. Seeds very numerous, linear
or ellipsoid.
XYRIS, Linn.
Characters of the order. Distribution, tropics of both hemispheres.
Species about Bo. All tropics.
Leaves quite flat and broad.
Leaves '5 m. across, sword-shaped; flowers small. (I) X. grandis
Leaves '25 m across, hnear acute; flowers large (2) X. indica
Leaves narrow lmear.
Scape 2-edged; leaves stiff rigid, heads cylindric,
over' 5 in. long . . . . . . (3) X. aneeps
Scape terete; leaves small flaccid, heads sub-globose,
'25 in. long . . . . . . . (4) X. paueiflora
Scape terete; leaves long flat, narrow, heads obovoid,
'5 m. long . . . . (5) X.oreophila
Slender short-leaved plant; heads globose ., _. (6) X. Ridleyi
Dwarf plant; leaves very short tufted; heads small,
few-flowered (7) X. baneana
(I) X. grandis Ridl. Journ. Linn. Soc. xxxviii. 332; Journ.
F.M.S. Mm. ii. I3B.
A very large species. Leaves sword-shaped acuminate equitant,
24 in. long, '75 in. wide. Scape shorter, 19 in. long. Head obovoid,
'5 in. through. Bracts lanceolate acute, '5 in. long, dark brown.
Flowers rather small. Sepals lanceolate acute, dark brown. Petals
cuneate-oblong, {!dges lacerate. Hab. In damp wooded spots,
in mountains at 5000 ft. altitude and upwards, Pahang, Gunong