376 MR, C. B. CLARKE ON 
axis between the lowest male and uppermost female; though in 
many female flowers with a rudiment, this rudiment takes the 
form of an elongate flattened rhachilla. But in the androgynous 
complete spikelet of Schenoxiphium the rhachilla, between the 
female and the lowest male flower, is elongated, often nearly to 
the length of the female glume, flattened, scarious-winged, ciliate, 
with two green nerves its whole length. This occurs in every 
species which I have referred to Schenoxiphium. Mr. Bentham 
has sorted all the Schenoxiphiums into Hemicarex, except the 
original type of the genus, S. rufwm, Nees. In this the wing of 
the dilated rhachilla has two minute serrate processes near its 
apex, but otherwise the wing of S. Thunbergii, Burkei, &c. is ex- 
actly similar. The arrangement of the Kobresie in genera is a 
difficult matter on which I criticize Mr. Bentham with the 
greatest hesitation; but I am strongly of opinion that if 
Schenoxiphium rufum is separated generically from Kobresia and 
Hemicarex laxa, then all the Cape species must be made con- 
generic with Schenoxiphium rufum. 
Uncinia differs from the preceding genera in the completeness 
of the utricle, and is only separated from Carex by an artificial 
line. In Carex uncinioides, Boott (Ill. Carex, t. 23), the rudiment 
within the utricle is generally as Boott represents; but in some 
of my specimens the *rudiment" consists of a rhachilla about 
half as long as the glume, carrying an imperfect male spikelet of 
one or two glumes. 
Kobresia, Willd. Sp. Pl. iv. p. 205 ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. 
iii. p. 1071.—Caricis sp., Allioni, Fl. Pedem. ii. pp. 264, 265. 
Flores unisexuales. Spicule androgyne (flos imus foemineus, 
superiores 1-6 masculi), aut foeminez, 1-florz, floribus masculis 
obsoletis aut ad rudimentum reductis; rhachilla inter florem 
femineum et masculum imum brevissima, non alata. Gluma 
foeminea concava, marginibus basi vel usque ad medium connatis ; 
glume mascule obscurius subdistiche. 
Perennes, radicibus lente fibrosis, glabre (marginibus gluma- 
rum perraro minutissime pubescentibus). Culmi cespitosi, fas- 
ciculati, leves vel minute scabri. Folia prope basin culmi plura, 
anguste linearia, in marginibus (saltem prope apices) scabrida ; 
vagine ime aphylle aut subaphylle, testacez. Bracteæ ovate, 
obtuse aut aristate, interdum breviter foliiformes. Spica termi- 
nalis oblonga, densa aut parcius breviter ramosa. 
