ledge of the flora of the island for the use of students either in 

 residence there or at other institutions, and it is hoped that such a 

 descriptive flora may be prepared in co-operation with the botanists 

 of the Government at no distant date. In order to accomplish this, 

 however, a very large amount of additional exploration must be 

 done ; the co-operative arrangement now in progress is rapidly 

 supplying much needed material through the collecting trips of 

 Mr. William Harris, Superintendent of Hope Gardens, but his valu- 

 able time for this purpose is naturally limited and should be sup- 

 plemented by the work of other collectors in order that the infor- 

 mation necessary may be more rapidly obtained. 



References to specimens and their collectors have been restricted 

 for the most part to work of the last few years, the older speci- 

 mens being comprehensively cited by Mr. C. B. Clarke in his 

 monograph. 



Key to the Genera of Jamaican Cyperaceae. 

 A. Fertile flowers perfect 



I. Basal empty scales of the spikelets none, or not more than 

 two 

 Scales of the spikelets distichous 

 Spikelets with only one per- 

 fect flower I, Kyllinga 

 Spikelets with 2 to many per- 

 fect flowers 2. Cypenis 

 Scales spirally imbricated (appa- 

 rently distichous \n Abildgaardia) 

 Base of the style persistent as 

 a tubercle on the achene 



Spikelet I : bristles of the pe- 

 rianth usually present ; culms 

 leafless 3. Elcocharis 



Spikelets several or numer- 

 ous ; bristles none ; culms 

 leaf-bearing 4. Stowphyllus 



Base of the style not persistent as 

 a tubercle 



Flowers with no broad 

 sepals nor perianth-scales 

 Base of the style swollen ; 

 perianth-bristles none 

 Scales of the nearly 

 terete spikelets spirally 

 imbricated 5. Fimbristylis 



Scales of the distinctly 

 flattened spikelet sub- 

 distichous 6. Abildgaardia 

 Base of the style not 

 swollen ; bristles usually 

 present 



Bristles 8 or fewer, 

 short, rarely none 7. Scirpus 



Bristles numerous, long- 

 exserted 8. Eriofy/ioniin 



Flowers with a perianth of 3 

 broad sepals 9. Fuircna 



