296 CLVI, CYPERACEZ (CLARKE). [Pycreus. 
Nile Land. Kordofan: Abn Gerad, Kotschy, 53! and without precise 
locality, Steudner, 910! Abyssinia: Samen; near Gapdia, Schimper, 821! British 
East Africa: by the River Tana, Gregory, 97! Rabai Hills, near Mombasa, 
Taylor! 
Lower Guinea, Angola: Loanda ; at Represa de Maghalaes, near Conceicao, 
Welwitsch, 7076! Pungo Andongo; Catete and Umbilla, Welwitsch, 6907! between 
the Presidium and Quilanga, Welwitsch, 6921! Mossamedes; banks of the River 
Bero, Welwitsch, 6888! Huilla, 5000 ft. ; in fields near Lopollo, Welwitsch, 6854! 
plentiful in damp fields, Welwitsch, 68798 ! 
Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro, 000 ft., Taylor! British 
Central Africa: Zambesi Valley ; Boruma, Menyharth, 1051 partly ! 
Also in Socotra, India, China, Malaya and North Australia. 
The huge synonomy of this plant has grown up from Cyperologists giving import- 
ance to the length of the mucro to the glume. In this, as in several other species 
of the Order, it is a character of no value. 
13. P. pumilus, Nees in Linnea, ix. 283. Annual; stems 
ceespitose, 2-10 in. long. Leaves basal, often as long as the stem, 
yo in. broad. Umbel of spikes simple, rays 4—7; bracts 3-5, lowest 
up to 6 in. long, similar to the leaves. Spikelets 5-10 in a spike, 4 by 
$ in., 8-flowered, much compressed, straw-coloured or pale brown, 
glistening. Glumes broad-ovate, keel excurrent in a mucro, strongly 
2-3-ribbed on each face. Nut 4-2 the length of the glume, ellipsoid, 
flat, ashy-black.—C. B. Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 591. 
Cyperus hyalinus, Vahl, Enum. ii. 329; Kunth, Enum. ii. 3; Boeck. 
in Linnea, xxxv. 482. (. pumilus, Nees in Wight, Contrib. 74, excl. 
all syn.; Kunth, Enum. ii. 4 mostly, not of Linn. 
_ Mozamb. Dist. Mozambique, Kuntze, 303! 
Also in Madagascar, South India and Timor. 
It is unfortunate that, in transferring this species and the last to Pycreus, Nees 
should have interchanged their Linnean specific names under Cyperus. The species 
is a striking one; plentiful in the Linnean and old collections ; then hardly collected 
for a century ; now very rarely received. 
14. P. polystachyos, Beauv. Fl. Owar. ii. 48, t. 86, fig. 2. Roots 
fibrous. Stems tufted, 1-24 ft. long. Leaves basal, longer or shorter 
than the stem, 4-1 in. broad. Spikes (more or less evidently com- 
pound) in an umbel of 1-7 rays, each of 10-50 spikelets (but see 
var. 8), erect even in fruit; bracts 3-6, lowest 4-12 in. long, similar 
to the leaves. Spikelets % by #5 in., linear, not wider towards the 
base, 20-50-flowered, dusky straw-coloured or somewhat red-tinged. 
Glumes ovate, tip triangular, muticous. Nut 3-2 the length of the 
glume, oblong, nearly symmetric, brown.—C. B. Clarke in Hook. 
f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 592, in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. F). Afr. ¥- 
540, and in Dyer, FI. Cap. vii. 157; Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fi. 
Congo, i. 281; Urban, Symb. Antill. ii. 17; Rendle in Cat. Afr. 
Pl. Welw. ii. 108. Cyperus polystachyos, R. Br. Prod. 214; Kunth, 
Enum. ii. 13; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 549; Krauss in Flora, 1845, 
754 5 Boeck. in Linnea, xxxv. 477 ,in Flora, 1879, 547 incl. var., aD 
in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 535; Coss. & Durieu, Expl. Scient. 
