ME. C. B. CLA.BKE OX IffDIA.W SPECIES OF CTPEBFS. 103 



I assume here in Calcutta two things— 1st, that Kunth's 0. 

 radicans is certainly Nees's radians ; Kunth has marked it v. s. • 

 his description, " squamis navicularibus, multinerviis," as well as 

 of the simple umbel, " capitulis subglobosis polystachyis," proves 

 that he had before him Kurz's plant, and not the Kew-bundle 

 G. radians. Secondly, it is clear that Boeckeler must have had 

 this plant in his mind, and not the Kew-bundle plant, when he 

 placed his G. radians in sect. Compressi. But from Boeckeler's 

 quoting Griffith's Malacca collection for G. radians, it would 

 appear that Boeckeler has, from the striking character of short 

 culm, very long ray, rolled the two into one despite the other 

 enormous differences. 



We have in Gyperus numerous instances of the same peculiar 

 type of inflorescence turning up in very different parts of the 

 genus, as G. cephalotes, pygmceus, dubius, confused much by the 

 old authors. At the same time it seems so very improbable that, 

 over exactly the same area, two species both having the strange 

 habit of G radians should be found, that I have imagined the 

 possibility of G G-rijfithii being a monstrous or semi-bisexual 

 state of G. radians. (Yery curious differences in the structure of 

 the spikelets accompany some such state among the sect. Ele- 

 gantes.) But both G. radians and G. Griffithii appear perfectly 

 normal with ripe nuts ; if they are one species, I do not know 

 why O. canescens may not be a state of G. compressus. I give the 

 matter up for the present. 



59. C. Schweinitzii (Torrey in Ann. Lyceum New York, 111. 

 p. 276); bracteis erecto-adpressis, umbellam simplicem laxam 

 paullo superantibus; spiculis majusculis, antice fastigiato-spicatis ; 

 glumis distantibus, ovatis, mucronatis, striatis ; nuce magna, tn- 

 quetra. — BoecJc. in Linncea, xxxv. p. 518. 



Ehizoma repens, lignos-um. Culmi 3-5 dm. longi, apiee tn- 

 quetri spinuloso-scabri. Spicule long® 15 mm,, lata 4 mm., 

 10-16-florse. 



Chicago {Balcoch, h. Calcutta). 



60. C. cokfebttts (Sicartz, Prod. p. 20, Fl. 2nd. Occ i. p. 115) , 



debilis, fusco-viridis; umbella simplice; spicis breviter spicatia, 

 6-9-floris ; glumis carinatis, in dorso viridi-7-nervns, in latenbus 

 fuscis vix luteis. — BoecTc. in Linnaa, xxxv. p. 51 • 

 Columbia, &c. {fide Boeckeler). 



