102 MB. C. B. OLABKE ON INDIAN SPECIES OF CTPERTJS. 



sparsi, ssepius brunnei. Stamina (nisi in exemplis parvulis) 3 ; 

 filamenta persistentia ; antherse oblongae, muticse, rubrse. Stylus 

 nuce fere brevior ; rami 3, e gluma breviter exserti. Nux ellip- 

 soidea, subobtusa, acute triquetra, cum $ parte gluma3 sequilonga, 

 nigra ; cellulae extimae quadratse, marcescentes, lucide albidse, hya- 

 linae, non porosae. 



Asia australi-orientalis. 



M.&\a,cc& (Griffith, h. Kew; Maingay nn. 2987, 3191, h. Kew 

 n. 1721). 



Tenasserim (Heifer, h. Kewn. 6209). 



Singapore (Wallich, h. Linn. Soc, n. 3371 B h. Calcutta). 



China: Macao (Hance n. 10135, h. Kew); Hongkong (C. 

 Wright n. 565, h. Kew). 



Cochinchina (Leboeufn. 832, h. Kew). 



Bangka (Teysmann, h. Kew). 



Borneo : Banjermassing (Motley nn. 55, 1135, h. Kew) ; Sara- 

 wak (Beccari n. 3686 ; Barber, h. Kew). 



I am completely puzzled by this plant. When I took up the 

 bundle of C. radians at Kew, it contained a large number of speci- 

 mens, from which I compiled the description here given of C. 

 Oriffithii, and also extracted the select localities here quoted for 

 C. Oriffithii. The plant differed from all other Cyperi I bad then 

 seen by the very short culms and enormously long rays. Nothing 

 caused me to suspect more than one species in the bundle ; I feel 

 sure that nearly all of it was the plant here described as C. Qrif' 

 fithii, though it is possible I may have hastily overlooked some 

 specimens of true C. radians ; the marked character of the short 

 culm might seduce any one into hastily naming a specimen on 

 that obvious point without looking further. But at Kew I was 

 quite at a loss to imagine how Boeckeler had got the species 

 among the Compressi ; the spikelets are so terete that I can 

 compare them in that respect with nothing except C. canescens, 

 Vahl. In the Calcutta Herbarium, however, I find Kurz's Burmese 

 excellent specimens, also with short culm, very long rays, though 

 with totally different spikelets, exceedingly like those of G. corn- 

 pressus. I might think it a trick of memory ; but, as the Cal- 

 cutta Herbarium also has an excellent specimen of C. Grif- 

 fithii, I see by placing the two side by side that, though both 

 have very short culm, very long rays, the spikelets are as different 

 as well can be in Cyperus ; and on further examination the two 

 are found to differ widely in the glumes, inflorescence, bracts, in 

 short at every point. 



