50 TRIANDRIA— MONOGYNIA. Scirpus. 



On turfy barren heaths common. 



Perennial. July. 



Root with many coarse, tough, zigzag fibres. Stems numerous, 

 from 3 to 12 inches high, in dense tufts, erect, naked, except 

 at the base, where they bear 2 or 3 very short leaves, with long 

 sheaths, besides numerous tumid, furrowed, polished, permanent, 

 radical, external scales. Spikes solitary, small, reddish brown, 

 many of them pinched and abortive j sometimes entirely sup- 

 pressed ; whence the barren stems have been taken, as Schrader 

 remarks, for leaves. Two outer glumes as tall as the spike, 

 pointed, their seeds most invariably perfected. Stigm. 3, rarely 

 4. Seed elliptical, triangular, brown, with green edges, sub- 

 tended by about 6 forked bristles. 



This species and the next approach in habit and character to 

 Eleocharis hereafter described, to which I would remove them 

 rather than not admit that genus. Mr. Brown, however, does 

 not enumerate them as belonging to it. 



2. S. pauciflorus. Chocolate-headed Club-rush. 



Stem round, with a tight leafless sheath at the base. Spike 

 terminal, of few flowers, longer than its blunt membra- 

 nous-tipped outer glumes. 



S. pauciflorus. Light/. 107 '8. Ft. Br. 50. Engl. Bot. v. 16. M 122. 



Hook. Scot. 17. Don H. Br. 127. 

 S. Beeothryon. Ehrh. Phyt. 3 1 . Linn. Suppl. 1 03. Willd. v. 1 . 293. 



Vahl Enum. v. 2. 244. Schrad. Germ. v. 1 . 125. Roth Germ. 



v. 2.54. 

 S. campestris. Roth Catal. v. 1. 5. 

 S. n. 1335. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 176. 

 S.minimus,spicabreviore, squamosa, spadicea. Scheuchz. Agr.364. 



t.7.f.\9. 



On moors and mountains in Scotland, not uncommon. 



Near Yarmouth, Norfolk. Mr. D. Turner. 



Perennial. August. 



Smaller than the last, with several barren stems, but no real leaves, 

 The numerous radical polished imbricated scales are also want- 

 ing, there being only a very few thin and narrow ones, besides 

 the close abrupt sheaths which embrace each stem. Spike smaller 

 and blacker than in S. ccespitosus, but, except when starved, 

 twice as long as the 2 outer glumes, which end in a rounded 

 membranous border. Seed grey, shining, obtuse, with a brown 

 point, and at the base 6 fine rough bristles. 



I prefer Lightfoot's unexceptionable and original name to the 

 pedantic one of Ehrhart, foisted, like many other such, by him, 

 into the Supplementum of Linnaeus, while printing j contrary to 

 the author's intention. 



