RECONSIDERATION OF THE CYPERACE/E.* 



In working over the Cyperaceae preparatory to the publication of 

 a Flora of Yucatan from which region many of the Utowana speci- 

 mens were derived and carefully considering each species intended 

 for insertion in that work, a few discrepancies in the classification of 

 the material presented on pages 28-30 became evident, rendering a 

 reconsideration necessary. 



As all of the specific descriptions in the proposed Yucatan Flora 

 are planned to be based upon the characters of the fruits, I find it 

 convenient to present this revision in the form intended to be used in 

 that publication. 



While I sincerely regret the necessity of differing with Mr. C. B. 

 Clarke, in his excellent monograph of the Antillean Cyperaceae, in 

 Prof. Urban's Symbole, yet, the impossibility of distinguishing with 

 certainty the seeds of Cyperus, Torulinium and Mariscus by any con- 

 stant character, confirms the opinion that Mariscus and Torulinium 

 are but sections of Cyperus, and that the single character: the separa- 

 tion of the fruits from the rachilla, or the rachilla from the rachis, is 

 not sufficient to be classed as generic ; especially as this character 

 also intermixes to some extent. 



CYPERACE^:. 



Grass-like or rush-like herbs. Inflorescence in solitary or clus- 

 tered i -many flowered spikelets; flowers perfect or imperfect, i or 

 rarely 2 in the axil of each scale; scales 2-ranked or spirally imbri- 

 cated. Perianth hypogynous, composed of interior scales or bristles. 

 Stamens 1-3, rarely more. Ovary i-celled, sessile or stipitate, ovule 

 i, anatropous, erect, style 2-3-cleft or minutely 2-toothed, rarely sim- 

 ple. Fruit a plano-convex, lenticular, tri-lateral or sub-globose 

 achene: 



*In this work 1 have been ably assisted by Mrs. Agnes Chase, an enthusiastic and careful 

 phytologist, to whom I am indebted for the drawings and much of the descriptive matter here 

 presented. 



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