5. Mariscus.] 138. CYPERACEJE. 



Barkuda, Chilka Lake. "Between rocks in water near the edge of ponds. 

 Plants 3 ft. high. D. mainly June-Oct., but also in April when the rocks are 

 quite dry." Narayanswami and Carter {Memoirs As. Soc,, vii, 4). 



Leaves transversely lineolate, Clarke. 



6. M. compactus, 7iov. comb. Sjai. Cyperus compactus, Retz. (Obs. v, 



10); M. microcephalus, PresL; Cyperus dilutus, Vahl (1805-06). 



Rhizome short stout covered with old remains of sheaths and short 

 leaves and bearing two or three stems 8"-3 ft. high, their bases clothed 

 with very characteristic large oblong-celled spongy leaf-sheaths. 

 Easily recognised by the numerous straight subulate spikelets aggre- 

 gated into brown globose heads (contracted spikes) •5--75" diam., 

 the heads on the rays of compound umbels 2-12" diam. Glumes 

 imbricate much convolute, often 3-4 lowest empty so that when, 

 as is sometimes the case, there are only two or three 2 -sexual glumes 

 this might be taken for a Schmnus or Cla^liiim. In other cases 

 however there are as many as 14 fruiting glumes. Nuts narrowly 

 oblong slightly wider upwards (narrowly obovoid, Clarke), -1" long, 

 3-angled, usually slightly curved on one side, tip beaked with the 

 base of the style. Rhachilla slender with narrow hyaline persistent 

 wings. 



Tn rice-fields, common. Purneah and western Bengal, Kurz ! Ranchi, Clarke ! 

 Singblium ! Also in Upper Gangetic Plain and eastern and lower Bengal, so that 

 it probably occurs in all districts. Fl., Fr. Aug.-Nov. 



L. nearly or as long as stem. Bracts usually about 3, veiy long and about '2" 

 broad, others shorter, with large-celled tissue at their base like the leaves. 

 Peduncles of heads with a bract at base as well as a tubular sheath, rhachis 

 attaining about -2" long in fruit' and covered with the lowest pairs of glumes after 

 fall of the spkts. and their very prominent knob-like bases. Spkts. not compressed 

 and the convolute glumes slightly spirally arranged, lowest 2 emptj' small "03". 

 iii about "06- "OS" also often empty, ovate-lanceolate, about S-nerved, iv usually 

 flowering convolute ■12-"15" linear-oblong obtuse, closely 3-4-nerved along centre 

 and remainder scarious coriaceous, iv and v similar, the rest either male or 

 tabescent or up to 14 altoa"ether flowering. Ovary minute, style three times as 

 long passing gradually into ovary, stigmas long. St. 3, anths. apiculate. 

 Rhachilla with long internodes so that each glume only embraces about half he 

 following. 



Cyperus compactus, Retz. (1779-91) is given as a synonymn hj Knnth and is th 

 oldest name. Eefzius' plant came from China but our plant also extends into 

 China. It is described as having terete culms, but the rest of the description 

 agrees fairly well. 



6. COURTOISIA, Xees. 



Herbs with erect simple stems and grass-like leaves only near the 

 base. Spikelets compressed in umbelled globose spikes, very often 

 with the lowest glumes in a different plane from the succeeding ones 

 and occasionally with abortive rudimentary spikelets in their axils, 

 usually 2 lowest empty, 1-3 succeeding 2-sexual and nut-bearing and 

 always winged on the keel, uppermost sterile. Rhachilla disarti- 

 culating above the empty glumes. Stamens 3 with oblong anthers. 

 Style short persistent with 3 long stigmas. Nut 3-gonous acute. 



1. C. cyperoides, Xees. 



Stems 1-5-2 ft. high, clustered, 3-quetrous. Leaves verj^ long, 

 flaccid, under -25" broad. Inflorescence corymbiform with several 



910 



