246 
DR. M. T. MASTERS ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN SPECIES 
H 
have been overlooked so long. The female plant has a much more 
simple inflorescence than the male, and much larger spikelets. 
R. siceminus, Nees, MS. Ramis primariis compressis (crassitie 
penne corvine), parum dichotome ramulosis, ramulisque ascenden- 
tibus, elongatis, olivaceis, punctulatis, minutissime albo lepidotis, 
aphyllis; vaginis arctis, ovatis, coriaceis, sub apice obtuso membra- 
naceo retuso herbaceo-cuspidatis, ad ramificationes squamam alteram 
oblongam bicarinatam amplectentibus ; spiculis (femineis) in apice 
ramulorum 1-5 approximatis, in racemum erectum terminalem dispo- 
sitis, singulis erectis, plurifloris, ovato-oblongis v. ellipticis (7-8 lin. 
long., 1-2 lin. lat.), sessilibus vel breviter pedicellatis, basique spatha 
aperta vaginzeformi brevi przditis ; bracteis laxiuscule imbricatis, ob- 
longo-lanceolatis, coriaceis, ferrugineo-griseis, micantibus, promi- 
nenter septemmervosis, sub apice tenuiore mucronulatis, infimis 
vacuis, ceteris flores oblongo-acutos pedicellatos triplo superan- 
tibus; glumis externis rigidiusculis, oblongo-lanceolatis, zequalibus, 
pallide ferrugineis, lateralibus conduplicatis, carinatis, carina glabra ; 
glumis internis conformibus, dimidio brevioribus, vix hyalinis, pos- 
tica latiore; staminodiis 3, ligulaeformibus; ovario rotundato, apice 
truncato, ferrugineo, biloculari; stigmatibus elongatis, villoso-plu- 
mosis; capsula rotundata, bi- vel abortu uniloculari, coriacea, ferru- 
ginea, ad margines dehiscente, stigmatum vestigiis coronata ; semi- 
nibus magnis, oblongis, ferrugineis, testa subcoriacea tuberculis majus- 
culis obsita. 
R. bigeminus, Nees, MS. in herb. Sonder.—R. (Thamnochorti) mi- 
cantis feminea, Nees, MSS., sed vix. 
Hab. C. B.S. Ex.sp.s. 9. Cape Flats (August), Eck. et Zeyh. 1123. 
In Dr. Sonder's herbarium are two specimens, evidently of the 
same species: one has a label attached to it, with the name AR. 
bigeminus, mihi (i. e. Nees) ; the other, which is precisely similar, 
has the name “R. micans, N. ab E. in Linnea, v. p. 649,” in the 
handwriting of that botanist; but as neither specimen accords 
well with the description of R. micans in the ‘ Linnea, I have 
preferred to adopt the name R. bigeminus. 
R.? DISPAR, sp.n. Ramis primariis erectis (erassitie penne gallinacez), 
subeompressis, diehotome ramulosis, ramulis erectis, curvatis, oliva- 
ceis, albo tuberculatis; vaginis semipollicaribus, arctis, ellipticis, 
acutis, coriaceis, fuscis, marginibus superne hyalino-membranaceis, de- 
structis; spiculis 4-6, in spicam disticham flexuosam approximatis, 
singulis oblongis, acutis, erectis (5-6 lin. long.), spatha magna aperta 
vaginzformi suffultis; bracteis arcte imbricatis, omnibus fertilibus, 
singulis oblongis, convexis, vix carinatis, rigidis, purpurascentibus, 
flores oblongos düplo superantibus; glumis externis inzequalibus, 
oblongis, obtusis, rigidis, lateralibus conduplicatis, villoso-carinatis ; 
