138. CYPERACEM. [1. Cyperus. 



keel excurrent as an erecto-patent or recurved awnlet about one- 

 fourth as long as the glume. Nut -03" linear-oblong, with parallel 

 sides, 3-quetrous, dark red. Style much shorter than the nut. 



Singblmm, in moist fields! Hazaribagh (Giridih and Parasnath), Clarke \ Fl,,. 

 Fr. Sept-Dec. 



Koots of very delicate fibres. Leaves filiform, several in the cluster, mostly 

 shorter than the stems. Bracts with a broad base gradually filiform upwards, 

 mostly twice the diameter of the head or in compound umbels sometimes 

 exceeding the few rays, which may attain nearly 2" in length. Stamen usually 1 

 (sometimes 2) with small oblong anthers. Style-branches short. Glume •Oi-*05" 

 long without the awnlet, slightly 2-lobed, the sides ending in rounded shoulders- 

 broader than the 3-nerved keel. Nut ver^' closelj* minutely punctate (under high 

 magn.}, three-fourths as long as glume. 



8. C. cuspidatus, H. B. and K. 



A \evy small sedge often only 1" high, rarely 4", much resembling 

 the last but usually a ferruginous-brovrn rather than chestnut coloured 

 (though Clarke says that the colour in both is somewhat variable),^ 

 best distinguished by the somewhat longer awnlet and especially by 

 the nut being obovoid '02" long onlj'. The close simple (very rarely 

 compound) heads of spikelets often form a continuous sub-globose 

 mass over-topped by the few filiform bracts. Glume (with the 

 excurrent awn) -05", awn recurved about half to three-fourths as long 

 as the retuse conduplicate blade which is only nerved in the keel. 

 Nut oblong-obovoid. 



In drying up rice fields and sometimes associated with the last. Purneah, K/n-z '. 

 Monghyr, i£«;H. ! Singbhum ! Hazaribagh. Clarkel Manbhum (Barakhar). Ca/^ 

 Herb.'. Barkuda (Chilka Lake), K. 4' C. Fl., Fr., Sept.-Nov. AnnuaL Clarke 

 says that it is distributed throughout India. 



L. shorter than the stems, vei'y slender. Bracts sometimes "3" long. Glume 

 same shape as in castanoiis, blade only O'i-'O-^", awn sometimes {e.g. in the 

 Monghj^r specimen) as long as the 2-lobed blade. Nut "02" long, under high 

 magn. miuutelj^ puuctulate in close longitudinal lines, chestuut-coloared. 



9. C. aristatus, Roftb. 



A small sedge with the habit of a Kyllinga, verj* wel; marked by 

 reason of the small dense heads of spikelets ■2—4" long with the brown 

 glumes furnished with recurved awnlets as long as the blade, length 

 of glume together with the awn •05--06".* Nut oblong or narrowly 

 oblong-obovoid 3-quetrous, brown, •02--027" long, minutely mucro- 

 nate with the style -base. 



Ranchi, Clarke ! Hazaribagh, Clarke ! Fl., Fr. Oct.-Nov. 



Stems tufted, 3-quetrous or sub-3-alate. L. usually shorter, "Oo-'OS" broad. 

 Rays of umbel, if present, few, •2-'7" long or heads all clustered and sessile, globose 

 or oblong, •25-"J." long, the rhachis on faU of the closely packed spikelets marked 

 with prominent spiral disciform scars. Bracts 2-5 slender, tapering, up to 2" long. 

 Glumes with the blade sometimes shorter than the awn, keeled, ovate-oblong, 

 nerved to the margin. Stamen 1. Style slender, a little shorter than the nut and 

 capillary stigmas a little shorter than the style. 



10. C. iria, L. 



Rhizome 0. Stems tufted clustered 4"-2 ft. high, 3-quetrous. 

 Spikelets in simple or compound spikes or sub-racemose on the 

 branches of a decompound inflorescence, main branches of inflores- 



* Cooke says that the glume is ^" long. Possibly a mistake for yV" ci' else the 

 east and west plants are different forms. 



895 



