•200 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HLST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXJI. 



1. <S'. articulatus. 



2. S. mucronatus. 



8. Scirpus, Linn, 



Glabrous, leafy at base "or leaves reduced to sheaths. Stems 

 terete or trigonous. Inflorescence either of one terminal spikelet 

 or a lateral dense head, or of lateral or terminal open or contracted 

 umbellate corj^mbs. Spikelets clustered or solitary, many-flowered. 

 Hypogynous bristles normally present, sometimes flattened and 

 plumose, often reduced, (sometimes absent or present at random 

 in one individual). Stigmas and nut as in Fimbristylis . (Species 136. 

 Cosmopolitan). 



Key to the genus : — 



A. Inflorescence normally a single lateral sessile head of sessile spikelets. 



Glumes not squarrose. 

 1. Stems stout, septate when dry, head usually 



near the base of the stem, bristles 0. 



Nut triquetrous 

 '2. Stems stout, septate when dry, head usually 



near the apex of the stem, bristles 



present, nut trigonous 



3. Stems medium, head usually near the apex 



of the stem, spikelets few terete, turgid, 

 ovate, acute, glumes broad incurved, 

 shortly aristate, bristles present. Nut 

 plano-convex or biconvex .. .. 3. S. erectus. 



4. Stems rather slender, head usually above 



the middle of the stem, spikelets yellow- 

 ish, flaccid, glumes 5-ranked, concave, 

 inflated in the upper part. Bristles 0. 

 Nut triquetrous 



5. Stems slender, head usually above the 



middle of the stem, often not compact, 

 spikelets often pedicillate, whitish, firm, 

 glumes not as 4, bristles 0. Nut trique- 

 trous 



B. Inflorescence normally a lateral or terminal com- 



pound corymb. 



1 . Spikelets clustered, 2 or 3 together on the 



tips of the pedicels, golden yellow, flaccid. 



2. Spikelets solitary on the tips of the pedicels. 

 (a) Spikelets elongate, acute, glumes bifid at 



the apex with an interposed arista, bris- 

 tles retrorse-scabrid 



(6) Spikelets elongate, acute, glumes notched 

 at the obtuse top with an interposed 

 arista bristles plumose with multicellular 

 hairs . . 



(c) Spikelets shortly almost globosely ovoid 

 obtuse, very numerous in a supra-de- 

 compound corymb ; bristles scabrid . . 9. 



{d) As (c) but with bristles plumose . . . . 10. 



C Inflorescence a compact terminal bracteate head of 



minute spikelets . . . . . . . . 11. "S. michelianus. 



D. Very slender, almost filiform. Inflorescence a 

 sublateral head of few small spikelets with 

 squarrosely aristate glumes . . ,, ..12. S. sr/uatrosus. 



4. S. (juinquefarius. 



5, S. supinus. 



6. <S'. corymbosus. 



7 . S. maritimus. 



8. S. litoralis. 



S, grossus. 

 S. kysoor. 



