Prionium
(from prionion, a small saw; alluding to the serrated leaves). ORD. Junceae. A monotypic genus. The species is a remarkable, greenhouse rush, found in swamps and on the banks of rivers in South Africa. In its native habitat, it often increases to such an extent as to choke the rivers in which it grows. The leaf-sheaths contain a network of strong, black fibre, suitable for brush-making; and the leaves themselves are useful for plaiting and thatching. It should be grown in a compost of loam and leaf mould, and the pot stood in a pan of water. Propagated by division.
P. Palmita (Palmiet, native name). Palmite Rush. fl. greenish-golden, small, similar to those of Juncus, sessile or very shortly pedicellate, disposed in a compound, pedunculate panicle 4ft. long. l. in a cluster at the top of the caudex, 2ft. to 3ft. long, linear, dilated at base into an imbricating sheath. h. 6ft. 1857. (B. M. 5722.)