228 TRIANDRIA MONOGYKIA. Scirplfii 



I?(7y5of the umbel from half an inch, to one and a half inches long, with 

 one or two sessile spikes among them. — Lehves of the involucre se- 

 taceous, hairy, one or two, as lono? as the rays ; the rest as well as 

 the involuceh shorter than the brown, acute, from three to six lines- 

 long spikes. — iSca/?5 smooth, broad-ovate, with a greenish rib ending 

 in a short round point; the lowest smaller, two or three of them 

 uhoviivQ."— Stamens three, short. — Ovarium minute, surrounded by 

 three long, hairy bristles. — ^tyle compressed, hairy and ciliated, with 

 a broad cordate articulate base. 



Obs. The habit of this grass is that of a FinibristifHs, from which 

 however it differs in having several long, curved bristles attached to 

 the base of the ovarium^ it seems therefore to be a legitimate spe- 

 cies of Rhyncliospora. — N. W. 



So. S. trident at us. R. 



Culms straight, from two to five feet high, angular. Umbel com- 

 pound; involua\s from iwo to three; ^pikelets pointed; scales la^>ped, 

 jagged and daggered, Sjcd roundish, three-au- led, and bristly. 



Compart; with S. marilimus. 



Teli.ig Goorapa-shaka-timga. 



Glows m water courses, ditches, 8v,c. where the water is fresh ; 

 nevei in salt, or brackish water. 



A. 0/ btolouiferous with some sniall tubers, and many fibres. 

 — i'ulma erect, rigid, leafy, jointed, from two to live feet high, three- 

 sided, smooth,angles sharp. — Learf's numerous, sheathing, sub-erect, 

 ri>'id, keeled, smooth. — Umbel compound, small for the size of the 

 plant. — Involucre from two to three-leaved, erect, unequal, the long- 

 est being three times the length of ihe umbel, and the shortest equal- 

 Img the latter. — Spikes lanceolate or cylindric, large ; some sessile, 

 some peduncled. — Scales three-toothed, the lateral ones torn, the 

 midiile one long and subulate, keel green, the rest rust-coloured. 

 — Seed three-sided, short, thick, smooth, with bristles round the 

 base. 



Obs, I believe Kiiiiig called it S. maritimus indicus, but the form 



