2. Ptcreus.] 138. CYPERACEM. 



rayed or contracted into one head. Spikelets linear many-flowered 

 •5—75" long by •07--09", compressed reddish-brown. Glumes -08-' 1", 

 closely imbricate, minutely mucronate. Nut oblong, sub-truncate 

 and apiculate. 



Puri, Afkinso)! ! Fl. May. Perennial. 



Stems somewhat thickened at base, 3-o:onoi;s. L. overtopj^ing- the stem when 

 very short, shorter than the stem when this is elongate, •12-'17" broad. Rays of 

 nmbel 2-7, ■1-2" long-, each terminated by usually ternate spikes of 4-8 spikelets. 

 Bracts 3-6, spreading, 4-16" long. St. usually 2. Stigmas as long as the style. 



CooJce points out that the name odorafus has prioi'ity over poIi/gfacJii/ug. I find no 

 record of the plant being odorous. 



7. P. sulcinux, C. B. C. 



A slender plant very closely allied to P. odoratus. Beau v. but with 

 laxer more compound inflorescence and relatively shorter bracts and 

 the nut is unsymmetric, enlarged or gibbous toAvards the base, broadlj' 

 furrowed on each face. Glumes more remote. Clarke says that the 

 narrow edge of the nut is much flattened against the rhachilla. 



Siliguri and Sikkim Tarai ! and probably therefore Purneah, Fl. Sept.-Oct. 

 and May. 

 Spikelets linear "d-'S" or more after fall of lower glumes. 



3. JUNCELLUS, Griseb. 



As in Cyperus but nut plano-convex, more or less compressed 

 ventrally, the plane face flat against the rhachilla and stigmas 2. 

 Rhachilla (as in Pycreus never winged) persistent. Stamens 3-2 

 anterior. 



Perhaps even more ai'tificial than Pi/creu^, some species, e.g. J. serofinux, being 

 indistinguishable from species of Cyperus (in this case C. pilosus) except in the 

 compressed not equilaterally trigonous nut. 



1. J. pygmaeus, Clarke. Syn. Cj^perus pygmseus, Rottb. 



A very tufted small herb 1-4" (rarely attaining 10") with dense 

 compound heads •25--75" diam. of linear, often curved or twisted 

 spikelets ■2--3" long, greenish-white or finally pale brown. Nut 

 plano-convex, ^-^ glume. 



Purneah (up to 8" with hds. "e-'T" diam.)! Behar (hds. "4" diam.), J. B.R.I 

 Sandy bank of Ganges, Wall. ! " Moist shadj- soil near tanks in Bengal," Wall. I 

 Fl. May- Jan. 



Leaves long flaccid. Bracts 3-6". Stamens 2-1, anthers small linear muticous. 



4. KYLLINGA, Rottb. 



Stem leafy below only, terminated by 1-3 sessile capitate ovoid or 

 cylindric dense spikes subtended by leaf-like bracts. Spikelets small 

 compressed of 4-5, rarely more, distichous glumes, rhachilla disarticu- 

 lating above the two very small lowest glumes. Gl. iii 2-sexual, 

 iv male or empty or rarely 2-sexual, a fifth and occasionally one or 

 two other rudimentary glumes sometimes present. Stamens in fl. 

 glumes 1-3, anterior, anthers muticous or nearly so. Nut laterally 

 compressed, style linear continuous with nut, with 2 linear stigmas. 

 A. Rhizome \Qvy short, stems close, tliiokened at ba.sc :— 



Hds. ovoid, 3-nate, centre one "25-'3". Gl. iii "06-08 ' . . \. triceps. 



Hds. cylindric, if 3-nate then lateral very small, centre one 



•3-*6" long. Gl. iii '08" long 2. cylindrica. 



90G 



