lower indehiscent portion containing the nuclei of the seeds remaining imbedded among the bracts. The proportion of perfect capsules is usually very small in relation to the number of flowers, of which there are often from 500 to above 1000 in the same spike.
The genus is endemic in Australia, and the greater number of species are Western, two only of the Eastern species penetrate into the tropics, besides one which is exclusively tropical, if it be really more than a variety of the most widely diffused of the Eastern species.
| Sect. 1. Oncostylis.—Leaves linear or rarely lanceolate, with revolute margins or nearly flat but very white underneath, entire denticulate or pinnate with small numerous regular segments. Style remaining hooked after the perianth-limb has opened, the stigmatic end very small. | |
Perianth-tube villous, less than half as long as the style, the limb glabrous. Leaves small, entire. Western species. | |
Perianth-tube about 4 lines long. Leaves incurved or erect, ¼ to ½ in. long. |
1. B. pulchella. |
Perianth-tube about 3 lines long. Leaves spreading or reflexed, not exceeding in ¼ in. |
2. B. Meissneri. |
Perianth-tube more than half as long as the style, silky as well as the limb. | |
Leaves linear with closely revolute entire margins and not truncate at the end. Western species. | |
Leaves mostly short. Perianth under 1 in. long. Bracts with glabrous tips. |
3. B. nutans. |
Leaves mostly long. Perianth above 1 in. long. Bracts entirely woolly-villous. |
4. B. sphærocarpa. |
Leaves linear, truncate or notched at the end and often denticulate, especially near the end. | |
Western species, leaves long. | |
Leaves (2 to 4 in.) very narrow, with closely revolate entire margins. Bracts villous to the end. |
5. B. tricuspis. |
Leaves (2 to 4 in.) with revolute or recurved margins, entire or denticulate towards the end. Bracts with glabrous tips. |
6. B. occidentalis. |
Leaves (4 to 8 in.) more open, showing the tomentose under surface. Bracts tomentose at the end. |
7. B. littoralis. |
Eastern species. | |
Leaves (about ½ in.) very narrow with closely revolute entire margins |
8. B. ericifolia. |
Leaves (1½ to 3 in.) narrow-linear with closely revolute entire or denticulate margins |
9. B. spinulosa. |
Leaves (1½ to 3 in.) linear, more open, showing the white under surface, denticulate to the base or rarely entire. |
10. B. collina. |
Leaves mostly verticillate, oblong-lanceolate or broadly linear, entire or rarely toothed at the end, white underneath. Western species. |
11. B. verticillata. |
Leaves pinnate with numerous small regular contiguous but distinct segments. | |
Leaf-segments broad, triangular. Spikes small, globular or ovoid |
12. B. dryandroides. |
Leaf-segments narrow, falcate. Spikes large, oblong or cylindrical |
13. B. Brownii. |
| Sect. 2. Cyrtostylis.—Leaves flat or undulate, the margins not revolute, toothed, pinnatifid or pinnate. Style arched or nearly straight and turned upwards after flowering, not hooked, the stigmatic end small, not striate. Western species. | |
Perianth obtuse or acute, not aristate. | |
Leaves narrow regularly serrate, usually white underneath. | |
Spikes narrow. Perianth glabrous, under ¾ in. long. |
14. B. attenuata. |
