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.

Zambia: 30 taxa.

Xyris schliebenii

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

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
anceps Lam. var. anceps Image
angularis N.E. Br.B,N,W
aristata N.E.Br.N,W,C
capensis Thunb.B,N,W,C,S
capillaris MalmeW
capnoides Malme W
congensis BüttnerB,N,W,C,E,S
dissimilis Malme W
elegantula Malme N
erubescens Rendle N,WImage
foliolata L.A. Nilsson B,W
friesii Malme N,W,C
fugaciflora Rendle W
gerrardii N.E. Br.NImage
gossweileri Malme B,N,W
huillensis RendleB,N,W
imitatrix Malme B,W
kornasiana Brylska & Lisowski N
laniceps Lock N
lejolyana LisowskiN
obscura N.E. Br.NImage
porcata Lock N
rehmannii L.A. NilssonNImage
rhodolepis (Malme) LockB,W
rubella MalmeN,W,CDescription
schliebenii Poelln.N,WDescription, Image
straminea L.A. NilssonB,N,W,S
subtilis Lock N,C
symoensii Brylska & Lisowski N,W
welwitschii Rendle N

Other sources of information about Xyris:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Xyris
Flora of Burundi: Xyris
Flora of the DRC: Xyris
Flora of Malawi: Xyris
Flora of Mozambique: Xyris
Flora of Rwanda: 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: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Xyris.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=311, retrieved 10 July 2025

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