Carez.] CLXXI. CYPERACEX. (C. D. Clarke.) 733 
preceding group; perhaps near C. alopecuroides.— Boott has included Royle, n. 112 
(the sole foundation of C. obscura, Nees) iu his C. psychrophila. Subsequently 
Boott (Carex, iii. 108 in Obs.) reduces C. parvibracteata, Nees (which is C. 
psycrophila) to C. obscura, Nees. 
Sect. 7. Propers. Terminal spike wholly male. (Iu C. ustulata and C. 
alopecuroides frequently, in some others very rarely, there occur terminal spikes 
male at base fem, at top.) 
* Utricle glabrous (or scabrous on margins) ; beak 0 or very short. 
99. C. melanantha, C. A. Meyer ex Ledeb. Fl. Alt. iv. 216 and 
Ic. Pl. iv. 8, t. 317; spikes 3-6 approximate subsessile (lowest peduncle 
rarely $ in.) dense, glumes black-red triangular-tipped, style 3-fid, utricles 
obovoid-ellipsoid nerveless granular usually dark-red upwards, beak hardly 
any. Kunth Enum. ii. 432; Boott Carex, iv. 211; Turcz. Fl. Baikal. 
Dahur. ii. (pars. 1) 269 a only ; Boeck. in Linnea, xl. 399. C. nigra, var. 
B Trevir. in Ledeb. Fl. Ross. iv. 288. C.nigra, var. orientalis, Regel Descr. 
PL. fasc. viii. 98. C. atrata Boott ms. (partly). C. Moorcroftii, var. 
Boott ms. C. nivalis, Boeck. ms. (partly). 
KASHMIR; alt. 9-12,000 ft., Thomson, Ze, C. B. Clarke.—DisTRIB. Central 
Asia, Cabul. 
Stoloniferous. Stems 6-24 in. Leares numerous, often nearly as long as the 
stem, 1 in. broad ; lower sheaths very pale brown. Infl. usually 1-2 in., longer than 
lowest bract. Spikes 4 by 4 in. Glumes nearly uniform black red or with a 
narrow pale keel. Utricle shorter than glume, slightly scabrous on shoulders, 
trigonous, slightly winged; exsert part of stigmas rather shorter than utricle.—The 
original description of this species states the terminal spike to be male at base fem. 
at top, as in the type specimens, but in hardly any others ; the Indian examples have 
the terminal spike male, and Turczaninow and Regel say this is so very generally 
In the Central Asian plant. Boeckeler and Boissier say that C. nigra mainly differs 
by not being stoloniferous; but C. nigra is plentifully stoloniferous. Treviranus 
therefore unites C. melanantha with C. nigra; it has the same general aspect, but 
C. nigra has a totally different much-compressed utricle. C. parviflora, C. A. 
Meyer (Enum. Pl. Cauc. p. 30) which includes C. sabulosa, Turcz. and C. melano- 
cephala, 'lurez., is also exceedingly like C. melanantha in general aspect; it is 
common in Central Asia, aud very likely to occur in British India, and to have been 
overlooked. It differs from C. me/anantha in having the gtricle more acuminated 
into a short (but much more definite) linear beak. 
100. C. Moorcroftii, Falconer ms. ex Boott in Proc. Linn. Soc. xx. 
(1851), 140, and Carex. i. 9, t. 27; spikes larger brighter than in C. 
melanantha, glumes black-red or paler, terminal spike often pale, utricle 
arger pale upwards, otherwise as C. melanantha Strachey Cat. PI. 
umaon, 73; Boeck. in Linnea, xli. 179. C. melanantha, 8 baicalensis, 
Turez, Fl. Baikal Dahur. i. 270. C. melanantba, var. Boott ms. 
HIMALAYA and TIBET, alt. 12-16,000 ft., from the KARAKORUM to TIBET (N. of 
Sikkim), alt. 16-17,000 ft., J. D. H. and Phari, King.—Distris. Central Asia. — 
Appears like a fine bright-colrd. form of C. melanantha as the Russian botanists 
(and apparently Boott at last) esteemed it The fruiting spikes look very different 
as pale-yellow utricles alternate with dark-chestnut glumes ; whereas in C. melan- 
antha, the dull black-red tops of utricles are concolorous with glumes. C. Moor- 
croftii is sometimes nearly 2 ft. high, with spikes 3 in. in diam. 
101. C. supina, Wahl. in Handl. Vet. Acad. Stockh. 158; small, 
thizome slender creeping, spikes approximate sessile small, one terminal 
