192 

 THE CYPERACE^ OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 



BY 



L. J. Sedgwick, f.l.s., i.c.y. 



Part II. 



{JJontinued from page 700 of Volume XXV.) 



4. Courtoisia, ^e&s. 



See Clavis (Species 2, India, Africa, Madagascar.) 

 !• C. Cyperoides, Nees. A medium-sized yellowish herb, with 

 long leaves. Umbel usually compound. Bracts long, far over- 

 topping the inflorescence. Bracteoles short. Spikelets in dense 

 globose heads, | in. wide, ovoid, usually l-flowei"ed. Nut ^ in. 

 long or longer, very narrowly fusiform ; acutely trigonous or almost 

 winged, brown. 



In water holes in thy southern parts of the Presidency ; not uncommon 

 in the Mallad tract of the Carnatic. (India N. E. and S. W. Trop. Africa, 

 Madagascar). 



5. Fimbristylis, ' «/i^- 



Annuals or perennials. Root system various, but seldom if ever 

 stoloniferous. Stems usually tufted. Leaves basal, v. rarely 

 reduced. Inflorescence either a single spikelet, or a head of spike- 

 lets, or of umbellately disposed solitary or clustered spikelets. 

 Spikelets terete or polygonal, many-flowered, usually glabrous. 

 Rhachilla persistent. Glumes deciduous 2-sexual except some- 

 times the few ( empty) at the base or apex of the spikelet. Hypo- 

 gynous bristles or scales 0. Stamens 1 — 3. Style either bifid in 

 which case usually flattened, or trifid in which case usually filiform, 

 often pubescent or villous, deciduous with the usually dilated base. 

 Niit usually stipitate on a gynophore, biconvex in the forms with 

 bifid, trigonous in the forms with the trifid styles. (Species about 

 125 — all warm regions, but especially S. E. Asia andN. Australia.) 



Very closely allied to Scirpus and Eleocharis, but without hypogynous 

 bristles. The various species do not show any great uniformity of in- 

 florescence. I have followed Clarke's division of the genus, rather than 

 including with vionostachya the specie complanata and jimcifoiinis, since 

 the distichous lower glumes of those species are not very apparent, and 

 their habit is with sub-genus tnchelostylts. I have placed the sub-genus 

 ABILDGAARDIA at the head of the genus, since the distichous lowest 

 glumes, so far as this feature is not due merely to insuflicient development 

 of the rhachilla in its basal portion, would connect with the Cyperece. 



Section I. (ABILDGAARDIA) Loiver f/htmes of the spikelet distichous or 

 sub-distichous. Style 'S-Jid. 



1- F. monOStachya, Hassl: 6-12 inches high. Leaves 

 crowded at the base of the stem and shorter than it, filiform, wiry. 



