RHYNCHospoRA. TRIANDRIA. MONOGYNIA 57 



culm and smooth seeds. It will perhaps prove to be a distinct 

 ecies. 



7. R. laxa Vahl: culm triquetrous; corymbs leaf/, 

 decompound, loose ; spikes subulate ; seed obovate, pointed 

 with the long persistent style. Vahl Enum. II. p. 231. 

 Picrsh FL\. p. 48. Ro e m. ^ S chul t. \\. ^. Qb. R. 

 longirostris Elliott Sk, I. p. 59. Schcenus longirostris 

 Mich, FL I. p. 33. S. corniculatus Lam. III. I. p. 132. 



Culm 3 — 6 feet high, a little glaucous. Leaves a foot and a half 

 long, half an inch or more wide, flat, smooth, except on the 

 margin. Flowers in very large corymbs or umbels, axillary 

 and terminal. S/ii/ces loosely fascicled in about fours on the 

 extremities of long triangular peduncles. Glumes about 5 in 

 each spike; the lower ones shorter. Base of the style per- 

 sistent, terminating in a long rigid point three times the length 

 of the seed. Seerf compressed, margined, rugose. Bristles 6y 

 shorter than the seed. 



Hab. In swamps on the borders of rivers. Delaware. Mu/i- 

 I e n b e r §: 



.37. MARISCUS. Vahl. 



Flowers distinct, in a somewhat imbricate spike* 

 Calrjx 2-valved, unequal, 3-flowered. Corolla 1-valved. 

 Stijle 3-cleft» Seed triquetrous. Bristles 0. Vahl 

 Enum. II. p. 379. Nutt. Gen. I. p. 34. Roetn.^ 

 S chit It. Gen. 190. Scirpi species Li?!. Nat. 

 Ord. Cyperoide^ Juss. 



I. M. retrofraclus Vahl: umbel simple; rays long; 



spikes obovate, retrorsely imbricate ; spikelets subulate, at 



length bent backwards ; involucrum 3-leaved. Va h I Enum. 



II. p. 373. Pursh Fl.\. \i. 58. E I Ho 1 1 Sk. ]. y,. 74. 



Roem. ir Schult. II. p. 245. SciRPUS retrofractus 



Lin. Sp.pl. 74. fVilld. Spec. I. p. 304. Muhl. Gram. 



p. 40. Cyperi genus indianum, kc. P luk. Aim. 179. t. OK 



f. 4. 



Culm a foot and a half high, naked, obtusely triangular, pubes- 

 cent ; sometimes with reflected, laciniate scales on the angles. 

 Lea-ues situated at the base of the culm and abcut half its 

 length, linear-lanceolate, pubescent, carinate. Involucrum 

 leaf-like, shorter than the umbel. Rays of the umbel 6 — 8, 

 unequal, compressed, 2 — 6 inches long. Sfiikelets terete, col- 

 lected into an obovate head, at length closely reflected back- 

 wards. Calyx of 2 memb\anaceous leaves, (sometimes 

 1 -leaved,) much shorter than the flowers. Flowers closely 

 imbricate, (generally but one fertile ;) corolla ovate and lance- 

 olate. Stamen-i: .'?. Seed oblong-linear, grav. piincticulate. 

 8 



