122 MR. H. N. RIDLEY ON THE WEST-AFRICAN 
Of Fuirena there are 5 species, 3 of which are endemic and 2 Asiatic. Two out of the 
three described species of Hemicarpha are also in the collection, one also an Asiatic, the 
other an American plant. Lipocarpha is represented by 6 species, 2 of which are 
common to the tropics of both worlds; the remaining 4 are hitherto undescribed. The 
ERhynchospore are poorly represented. There is one common Rhynchospora, В. aurea, 
Vahl, the only known species of Remirea, an almost cosmopolitan sea-shore plant, 
and an undescribed species of Schenus, differing remarkably from any other in that 
polymorphic and somewhat heterogeneous genus. 
Of the Hypolytrez there are 6 species of Ascolepis, an almost exclusively African 
genus, all endemic. | 
Of Cryptangiz there is a single species of Acriulus, the only other described species 
being a native of Madagascar. Of Scleris there is 1 species of Hriospora, an endemic 
genus, and 17 species of Scleria, 14 of which are confined to Africa and its islands, the 
remaining 8 being South American. | 
Thus out of the whole collection, 82, ог more than half, are exclusively African, or 
extend also only into Madagascar; 19 are natives also of Tropical Asia; while 17 are 
only known elsewhere from America. Тһе remaining 32 species are widely spread and 
common plants. These latter consist for the most part of (a) weeds of cultivation, 
e.g. Cyperus aristatus, Rottb., C. rotundus, Fimbristylis squarrosa ; (В) littoral plants, е. g. 
Cyperus levigatus, L., Remirea maritima, Aubl., Scirpus maritimus, L.; (y) river-side 
plants, as Cyperus articulatus, Kth., Scirpus fluitans, Heleocharis palustris, L. 
But the most striking feature of the distribution of these plants consists in the large 
proportion, about 4, of the species confined to Tropical Africa and South America, and 
the West Indies, but not occurring in Asia; nor is this proportion altered if, in addition 
to the plants here enumerated, we add all the Cyperacee known from Tropical Africa. 
Thus out of 220 species of African Сурегасею, 27 species are met with also only in 
America. Among these plants are included Cyperus flavescens, L., which is abundant 
in both South America and Africa, extending also into Europe and as far east as 
Afghanistan, and Kyllinga cespitosa, Nees, of which a variety is recorded from the 
Philippines*. With respect to the former plant, it may be noted that all the European 
species of Cyperus, with the exception of two or three endemic ones, are natives also of 
Tropical Africa, only those occurring in Tropical Asia which are cosmopolitan. The 
same remarks apply to the genera Fuirena and Fimbristylis, plainly showing the origin 
of the tropical element in the European flora. 
It may not be out of place here to give a list. of the species of Сурегасеге common 10 
the two continents of Africa and America, but not occurring in Asia, as far as they 
are known. 
Cyperus flavescens, L. All Africa. 
olfersianus, Kunth. Congo (Christian Smith in Herb. Brit. Mus.). 
seslerioides, H. B. K. Lower Guinea. 
dichromeneformis, Kunth. Lower Guinea. 
* This may be an introduction from America, for I learn from бейот Vidal that there are in the Philippines 
several plants introduced from Mexico after its conquest by the Spaniards; with which this may have come. 
