MaRIscvs. | CYPERACE. 345 
thé stem, sheaths membranous, deeply split. Umbels simple or 
compound, rays 3-10, 1-3 in. long, secondary rays 3-6, up to 1 in. 
long, bear'ng dense globose yellowish-brown heads composed of 
many short spikelets; bracts 3 or more of different sizes the longest 
much exceeding the rays. Flowering glumes usually 2, } in. long, 
boat-shaped, keel prominently winged throughout its length, sides 
membranous, tip shortly cuspidate, usually only one glume nut- 
bearing. Nut 4 in. long, narrowly trigonous-fusiform, beaked, 
brown, embraced by the glumes. 
Bundelkhand (Duthie). Distr1p.: Tehri-Garhwal (Gamble !) Central 
Provinces (Lowrie and others!) Assam, Madras, Burma and Mada- 
gascar. 
6. MARISCUS, Vahl.; F. B. I. vi, 619. 
Perennial glabrous erect herbs, generally similar to Cyperus in 
most of their characters, Inflorescence a solitary head of spike- 
lets or more commonly, and in all our species, umbellate, the 
primary or secondary rays terminating in compact heads of narrow 
spikelets; bracts similar to the leaves. Glumes 4 to 14, in two 
opposite rows, persistent on the rachilla, the 2 or 3 lowest and 
the uppermost empty, the flowering glumes 1 to 10, The axis 
of the spikelet disarticulating and falling off in fruit just above 
the 2 lowest empty glumes which are left on the main rachis, - 
Bristles absent. Style 3-branched and nut 3-sided. Species about 
160, in all warm regions. 
Inflorescence a compound umbe! with the 
secondary rays terminating in globular heads 
of narrowly linear spikelets, each of which « 
bears 4 to 10 nuts ; - 1. M, dilutus. 
Inflorescence a simple umbel with rays termin- 
ating in cylindrical heads of spikelets, 
each of which bears 1 to 2 nuts . 
Rhizome not producing stolons. Spikelets 
each bearing 2 nuts , ; 
Rhizome producing stolons. Spikelets each 
bearing 1 nut A : ‘ : 
2. M. cyperinus. 
3. VM. paniceus. 
1. M. dilutus, Nees in Wight Contrib. (1834) 90. Cyperus, 
dilutus, Vahl. Enum. v. 2 (1806) 357 ; Cooke, Fl. Bomb. 2, 8765, 
