826.000 Xyris L.

Lock, J.M. (2010) Xyridaceae Flora Zambesiaca 13(4) 1-33

Description of the genus

Annual or perennial herbs, often forming clumps; rhizomes, when present, short, horizontal or ascending. Leaves virtually all basal. Inflorescence a condensed bracteate spike at the end of elongated peduncles which are often variously grooved or ridged; lower bracts of the spike occasionally elongated or reflexed. Flowers borne singly in the axils of the fertile bracts, short-lived; calyx of 3 unequal segments, the adaxial hooded and enclosing the flower-bud, the laterals asymmetric and often keeled; corolla yellow (blue in at least one West African species). Fruit a loculicidal capsule.

Derivation of name: from Greek: xyron, meaning a razor, applied to an aromatic species of Iris with razor-like leaves.

Malawi: 14 taxa.

Xyris schliebenii

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
aristata N.E.Br.N
capensis Thunb.N,C
congensis BüttnerN,C,S
erubescens Rendle NImage
huillensis RendleN
kornasiana Brylska & Lisowski N
makuensis N.E. Br.[NrEnd]S
obscura N.E. Br.N,SImage
rehmannii L.A. NilssonNImage
rhodolepis (Malme) LockN
rubella MalmeN,CDescription
schliebenii Poelln.NDescription, Image
straminea L.A. NilssonN,S
subtilis Lock N,S

Other sources of information about Xyris:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Xyris
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Xyris
Flora of Mozambique: Xyris
Flora of Zambia: Xyris
Flora of Zimbabwe: Xyris

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Xyris
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Xyris
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Xyris
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Xyris
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Xyris
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Xyris
JSTOR Plant Science: Xyris
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Xyris
Plants of the World Online: Xyris
Tropicos: Xyris
Wikipedia: Xyris

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Genus page: Xyris.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=311, retrieved 28 March 2024

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