stouter than in clavatum ; bracts broad ovate, narrowed into a bair-
like point.
Hab. Tristan d ’Acunha, Carmichael !
82. L. YESTiTUM. Desv. Encyc. Suppl. iii. 546. L. scaviosum
Hook. Ic. t. 89, non Forst. L. sericeum Hook, fil.— Main stem
wide-trailing, epigæous, densely leafy ; branches ascending, lower
sparingly compound. Leaves very crowded, ascending, adpressed,
linear, 4 iu - long, pale green and firm in texture iu the lower half,
membranous and white towards the tip. Spikes simple or forked
at the end of the leafy branchlets, stouter than iu clavatum,
sometimes ,8-4 in. long ; bracts very large, lanceolate from a broad
base, hyaline upwards and denticulate.
Chacapoyas, Peru, Matthens 1765 ! I have not seen the New Granadan
plant of Humboldt, placed here by Spring.
83. L. SPURIUM Willd. Sp. Plant, v. 28 ; L. i/laucescens Presl.
L. pichinchense Hook. Ic. t. 85 .— Main stem trailing, hypogæous ;
lower branches copiously compound, 3 -4 in. long, with short
divaricate branchlets. Leaves crowded, lanceolate, loosely ascending,
4-r- in. long, firm in texture, green, glossy, mucronate not
aristate ; midrib obscure. Spikes 1 -3 in. long, several to each
main branch, each sessile at the end of the branchlets or 2 -4 on a
short peduncle ending its main axis ; bracts broad ovate, with a
large cusp.
Hab. High Andes of Ecuador. The Brazilian L . assurgens Fée has more
compound branches, narrower leaves, and squarrose bracts.
84. L. CLAVATUM Linn. Sp. Plant, edit. ii. 1564 (Dill. Muse. tab.
58, fig. 1) ; FI. Dan. t. 126 ; Hook. Brit. Ferns, t. 4 9 .— Main stem
trailing to a length of several feet, caudate ; lower branches often
4 ft. long, copiously compound. Leaves crowded, lanceolate with
distinct awn, 4 - 4 hi, long, loose ly arcuate ascending, green, firm
iu texture, often denticulate ; midrib distinct. Spikes 1 -3 on a
long common peduncle with distant adpressed bracts, cylindrical,
1 -2 in. long, 4 in. diam. ; bracts broad ovate with a distinct mucro,
rigid, stramineous, much imbricated.
Hab. Arctic and alpine zones of both hemispheres ; also mountains of
Tropical Asia, Africa and America, Cape Mascaren Isles and Polynesia. Very
variable, the following being the principal named varieties : L . trichiatum Bory ;
Fée Fil. Bras. t. 107. Tropical America and Bourbon. Leaves more rigid, with
a very distinct awn, the lower spreading or recurved, a longer peduncle and
4—8 spikes. — L . arisiatum H. B. K. Andes and West Indies, with very
crowded ascending rigid aristate leaves and 4— 6 spikes.—L . piliferum Baddi
Fil. Bras. t. 3. A form between the last and the type.—L. eriostachys Fée.
Brazil, with the main stem terminated by a tu ft of rootlets.—L . venustulum
Gaudich in Freyc. Voy. Bot. t. 22. Sandwich Isles, with short very rigid,
ascending indexed leaves, long spikes, and squarrose bracts.—L . heterophyllum
Hook. Ic. t. 113. Owhyee. Differing from the last mainly by its less crowded
leaves.—L . inflexum Swartz. Cape and Madagascar. More rigid inflexed
leaves than the type, channelled down the face and 2—4 long spikes. — L.
divariciitum Wall., of India and .lava. Sterile branches very compound, main
stem but sparsely leafy, leaves of branches narrower and laxer, a long peduncle
with 5—6 long spikes. — L . tamariscispica Cesati. New Guinea, with very
short rigid incurved leaves, a long peduncle, and 0— 8 spikes.
85. L. PASTIGIATUM E. Br. Prodr. 165.— Main stem trailing,
hypogaious; lower branches copiously compound, sometimes a foot
long °and naked at the base ; branchlets crowded. Leaves
crowded, lanceolate, arcuate, 4 -4 hi- long, firm in texture, green,
mucronate, not aristate ; midrib obscure. Spikes several to a main
branch, sessile at the tip of the branchlets or many in a central
peduncled p a n ic le ; bracts broad ovate with a large cusp.
Hab. South Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Auckland and Campbell
Isles. Very variable. The large forms come in midway between clavatum and
paniculatum. The small states are not distinguishable from magellanicum.
86. L . PANICULATUM, Desv. Encyc . iii. 543. L . dendromorplium
Kunze. Mam stem trailing to a length of several feet, hypogteous
or sparsely le a fy ; lower branches copiously compound, sometimes
2 ft. long. Leaves crowded on the branchlets, linear, arcuate, firm
in texture, green, 4~4 hi. long, mucronate, not aristate ; midrib
obscure. Peduncle direct from the rhizome or terminating the
axis of a leafy braiioh, sometimes with several short ascending
branches, with several crowded spikes to each ; spikes more
slender than in clavatum; bracts finally squarrose, broad ovate,
with a large cusp.
Hab. Mountains of Peru and Chili.
87. L. ALPiNUM Linn. Sp. P lant, edit. ii. 1667; Schk. Crypt, t.
161; Hook. Brit. Ferns, t. 53. — Main stem wide-trailing, usually
hypogteous, with leaves only rudimentary; branches a sc en d in g ;
lower copiously ilahellulately compound ; branchlets nearly square,
l-1 2 th in. diam. inoluding the adpressed leaves. Leaves ovate-
lanceolate, 4 in. long, deourrent on the stem, adpressed, thick in
texture, green, entire, rounded on the back ; midrib hidden.
Spikes cylindrical, 4 -1 in. long, sessile at the end of the leafy
b ran ch le ts; bracts broad ovate, acute, ascending, imbricated.
Var. L. sabinmfolium Willd. Sp. Plant, v. 20. —Leaves narrower
and more acute. Spikes shortly peduncled.
Var. L . vikoetise Fraiich. et Savat. F num . Jap. ii. 198.— Leaves
narrower and more acute than in the type, not adpressed. Spikes
distinctly peduncled.
Hab. Arctic zones and mountains of the north temperate zone in both
hemispheres. Yar. sabinaifoUum. Bocky Mountains and Newfoundland. Var.
nikocnse. Japan.
Group of L . laterale.
88. L. DiFFDSUM E . Br. Prodr. 105. non S p r in g .— Stems intermatted,
2 -9 in. long, trailing at base, ascending at the end and
distinctly bran ch ed ; branches slightly compound, with divaricate
branchlets. Leaves moderately dense, lanceolate, ascending, pale
green, or tinged with brown, firm in texture, glossy, l-1 2 th to l-8 th
in. long ; midrib obscure. Spikes many, simple, oylindrioal, J - 4 in.
long, lateral or terminal on short branchlets.
Hab. Victoria and Tasmania. Intermediate between i . laterale and L.
magellanicum. The plant described as L . diffusum by Spring is L . fastigiatim
E .B r.