Cyperus. | CLVI. CYPERACEE (CLARKE). 323 
15. C. peecilus, (. B. Clarke. Glabrous. Rhizome short, hori- 
zontal, thick, clothed by brown scales. Stem 8 in. long, rather slender. 
Leaves 3 the length of the stem, !,—,, in. broad. Head 1, of 12-20 
spikelets; bracts 3-4, lowest up to 3 in. long, similar to the leaves (i.e. 
very narrow). Spikelets } by +4 in., slightly compressed, 16-20- 
flowered, green variegated with purple. Glumes oblong, very closely 
packed, rounded on the back, the excurrent mucro long, almost a 
bristle; ribs numerous, strong. Style shorter than the nut; branches 
3, long, brown-red, much exserted. Nut } the length of the glume 
(mucro included), oblong-ellipsoid. 
Nile Land. Somaliland: Mandira, Keller, 88! 
Named many-coloured (pecilus) on account of the green-straw spikelets being 
spotted with purple, and almost comose from tie red exserted styles. 
16. C. leucocephalus, /etz. Obs. v.11. Glabrous. Stems 4-10 
in. long, slender, bulbous at the base, tufted. Leaves }_2 the length 
of the stem, ;1,—,), in. broad. Head 1, globose, pallid or cinnamon- 
coloured, 4-2 in. in diam., of 6-40 spikelets ; bracts 3, lowest 2 in. 
long, similar to the leaves. Spikelets attaining } by } in., but more 
often about half these dimensions, much compressed. Glumes broad- 
oblong, obtuse, 3—-1-nerved; closely placed, but in the dry state usually 
not imbricated owing to the inrolling of the margins. Stamen (at 
least very often) 1. Style much shorter than the nut; branches 3, 
linear, medium short. Nut 4-3 the length of the glume, oblong, 
round-trigonous, yellow, somewhat glistening.—Kunth, Enum. ii. 97 ; 
Boeck. in Linnea, xxxv. 590; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxi. 
107, in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 602, and in Durand & Schinz, 
Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 566; Ridley in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 
137; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 141; Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. 
Welw. ii. 115. C. seslerioides, Ridley in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. 
li. 130, not of H. B. & K. C. Sorostachys, Boeck. in Linnea, xxxv. 588. 
Sorostachys kyllingioides, Steud. S\n. Pl). Glum. ii. 71. 
Upper Guinea. Senegal, Leprieur ! Soudan, Lécard, 110! 
Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; banks of the River Cacolovar, 5000 ft., 
Welwitsch, 1675! in spongy mountainous places at Humpata, Welwitsch, 6783! 
Pungo Andongo; 3500 ft., Welwitsch, between the Presidium and Quilanga, 
Welwitsch, 6772! pastures of the Presidium near Quilanga and Catete, Welwitsch, 
7146! 7147! 
Also in India, Malaya, Australia aud Tropical America. 
This plant varies a good deal in the size of the spikelets, but has not been much 
confused with any other Cyperus. It has been arranged, in the best herbaria, freely 
with Kyllingia, Ascolepis, and Lipocarpha. 
17. C. zanzibarensis, (. B. Clarke in Durand & Schinz, Con- 
spect. Fl. Afr. v. 581. Glabrous. Stems 10 in. long, medium stout, 
bulbous at the base with torn black leaf-sheaths, tufted. Leaves 4-3 
the length of the stem, narrow. Head 1, % by 3 in., dense, white, of 
very numerous spikelets; bracts 3-4, lowest 2-3 in. long, similar to 
the leaves, Spikelets 4 by 4-4 in., linear-oblong, compressed, 6-10- 
