CYPERACEAE. 



43 



1. Cyperus flavescens L. YELLOW 

 CYPERUS. (Fig. 61.) Annual; culms 

 very slender, tufted, leafy below, 3'- 

 12' tall, mostly longer than the leaves. 

 Leaves !"-!" wide, smooth, the longer 

 usually exceeding the inflorescence; 

 clusters terminal and sessile, or on 1-4 

 short rays; spikelets in 3's 6's, linear, 

 subacute, yellow, many-flowered, flat, 

 4"-9" long, li"-2" broad; scales ovate, 

 obtuse, 1-nerved, appressed, twice as 

 long as the orbicular-obovate black 

 obtuse lenticular shining achene; sta- 

 mens 3; style deeply 2 -cleft; superficial 

 cells of the achene oblong. 



Grassy places, Pembroke Marsh, 1905. 

 Serpentine, March, 1912. Native. Eastern 

 United States ; Cuba ; Porto Rico ; Mexico ; 

 Europe. Flowers in summer and autumn. 

 This pretty sedge was seen in abundance 

 at the localities mentioned ; while not 

 recorded by the earlier authors I think it 

 a native species ; its minute fruits may 

 have reached Bermuda by the agency of 

 birds in recent times. 



2. Cyperus paniculatus 

 Rottb. GATES' CYPERUS. (Fig. 

 62.) Annual, bright green. 

 Leaves $"-2" wide ; culms slen- 

 der, tufted, 4'-16' tall, often 

 surpassing the leaves; bracts of 

 the involucre 3-5, surpassing the 

 umbel, the longer ones up to 8' 

 long; umbel with 3-8 rays, or 

 rarely nearly capitate; spikelets 

 few, linear or linear-lanceolate, 

 3"-7" long, acute; scales light 

 chestnut-brown, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, acute, shining, striate, de- 

 ciduous at maturity; achenes ob- 

 long, grayish, abruptly apicu- 

 late, fully half as long as the 

 scale. [Cyperus Gatesii Torr. ; 

 C. Nuttallii of Reade.] 



Frequent in salt and brackish 

 marshes. Southeastern United 

 States, West Indies and continen- 

 tal tropical America. Flowers in 

 summer and autumn. Native. 



