I. Cyperus.] 138. CYPERACEM. 



cence umbellate with compressed peduncles 0-5" long much swollen 

 at their base. Glumes very broad and truncate, flowering 5-20, 

 •04 — 05" long conduplicate keeled but when opened out rather broader 

 than long with broad scarious nerveless sides, scarcely imbricate in fruit 

 and nut sometimes slightly exceeding the glume, black, 3-quetrous, 

 microscopically punctulate, style much shorter than nut. 



Cominon in rice-fields. Bhagalpur, IZ^aw. ! Patiia, TfaZ?. (Ko. 33G0) ! Moiio^hyr, 

 Ham. 1 Siugbluim ! Manbhum, Cami). ! Khurda, Wahh ! No doubt in every 

 district. Fl., Fr. Aug-. -Jan. 



Luxuriant plants attain 3 ft. in heiglit. Very distinct in the short broad glumes 

 not longer than the black nuts and scarely imbricate in fruit but very variable 

 (like most of the genus which grow in more or less rtrj-ing-up swamps) in size. 

 Leaves shorter or as long as stems. Bracts under intiorescence attain in large 

 plants 12" by "2", 2 or 3 always exceeding the inflorescence. Inflor. varies from 

 2" to 20" in diam., with a cluster of sessile spikes and several long branches again 

 carrying umbels of spikes or compound racemes, subtended as are the partial 

 spikes by filiform bracts, and setaceous bracts or glumes are frequent at the base 

 of the spkts. Spkts. variable in length, the spikes sometimes ending in an 

 elongated spikelet. Glumes 7-9-nerve(l on and close to keel (3-5-nerved on back, 

 C.B.C.), keel sometimes scabrid. Rhachilla broad flattened but not winged. Nut 

 oblong-obovoid. 



II. C. compressus, L. 



Rhizome 0. 8tems clustered erect and diffuse 6-15" long (up to 

 30", Clarke) and whole plant a somewhat grej*- or silvery-green. 

 Spikelets large, much compressed, •4--6" long elongating to 1-2" after 

 fall of lower glumes, -OS-- 15" broad, 3-many in a simple terminal 

 head or short spike, or heads also umbelled on rays 1-3" long. Glumes 

 cymbiform, -IS-- 15" long, ovate when unfolded, with keel produced 

 into a short cusp or mucro or in some glumes scarcely excurrent, 

 but tips very acute, lateral nerves 3-5, broad margins white scarious. 

 Nut obovoid ellipsoid 3-quetrous -05" long with rather concave faces, 

 shining brown or black. 



Sandy bank of Ganges, ITio-zl Throughout Chota Nagpur, common! Puri, 

 Wahh I Chilka Lake, -ffoo/jej- ! Fl., Fr. July-Dec. Annual. 



Leaves usually numerous and ratlaer shorter than the inflorescence, bracts over- 

 topping the inflor. V)y 1-3", •1-12" broad. Spikelets in forma pectiiiiformh (Karz, 

 Western Bengal and Bihar) 1" long and with very excu.rrent keel, alwaj's linear 

 when mature. Rhachilla said not to be winged (Clarl-e). hwt it has sometimes a 

 distinct dotted wing or margiii, which does not extend beyond the prominent 

 ledges ; internodes of rhachilla long. 



12. C. niveus, Retz. 



A small pretty sedge, tufted from the stems arising very close 

 together on the sympodial horizontal rhizome, about 4" high when 

 first coming into flower, often 15" in grass. Leaves rather numerous 

 narrow Avith filiform tips, shorter than the stems. Spikelets white 

 or pale, 4-9 together in a terminal head supported by linear or filiform 

 bracts -7-2" long, much compressed, ovate-lanceolate to oblong 

 •4-1" long by -15" wide with many (20-40) boat-shaped obtuse glumes, 

 the midrib scarcely produced into a mucro, other nerves strong about 

 6 each side. Nut prominently 3-quetrous somewhat obovoid, •06--08" 

 long with short base of style at top, style about as long as glume. 



Most conspicuous after jungle-fires in savannahs. Purneah ! Singbhum ! 

 Ranchi ! Hazaribagh (Parasnath, from base to top in grassy places), Xj^rs ! Fl. 

 Feb.-June. 



896 



