138. GYrERACEJi. [16. Carex. 



6. S. elata, Thw. 



A much more robust herb than any of the preceding, often 4-5 ft. 

 high, with stout rhizome (nodose as in hebecarpa) and polished stems 

 often -3" wide. Leaves 12-20" long, spreading 3-fariously, -S—Q" 

 wide, their sheaths 3-winged. Panicle including the lower axillary 

 partial panicles about 1 ft. long, partial and terminal panicles rigid 

 pyramidal, 2-4" long, rather dense but spikelets scarcely clustered, 

 rhachides acutely angled or Avinged pubescent or scabrid. Spikelets 

 solitary or 2 together in the axils of narrow lanceolate-setaceous bracts 

 usually longer than themselves, branches of the partial panicles in 

 the axils of similar but longer bracts and partial panicles in the axils 

 of foliage leaves below. Fem. fruiting glume very broadly ovate, 

 •14" long, midrib strong excurrent as a mucro, disc-lobes very short 

 suborbicular. Nut broadly or globosely ovoid from a broad base, 

 •09--15" long, white, reticulate, reticulations (especially the transverse 

 parts) raised with minute ferruginous hairs, ultimately glabrate, 

 tip smooth glabrous. 



Frequent in shady places and in tlae forests of Chota Naiipur ! Mavuvbliani, 

 elev. 3000 ft. ! Fl., Fr. March- June. 



In its youns: state before the panicle opens it looks, apart from the 3-farious 

 leaves, very hke a grass. Stems often straw-coloured with darker nodes. L. deep 

 green with 3 prominent nerves especially the two lateral, tip caudate setaceous, 

 margins scabrid, cutting. Tip of the sheaths (ojjposite to the blades) rounded 

 with short dense brown hairs (deciduous with age), and this character carried up 

 into the bracts of the inflorescence, especially on the inside of the spikelets, where 

 it becomes more pronounced, is a good recognition mark. Fem. spkt. usually in 

 the same axil as a male, •15--17" long before fruiting (excluding the 3 very long 

 pubescent stigmas), glumes 4, two uppermost sub-equal carinate. Male spikelet 

 smaller on a pedicel above the female, glumes up to G or 8. lowest 2 empty, keeled 

 mucronate, lowest -08", others about •12" long, ovate-lanceolate. 



16. CAREX, L. 



Rhizomatous, nearly smooth, grass-like herbs but stem often 3- 

 quetrous and bearing leaves near the base only (upper leaves, if any, 

 bearing parts of the inflorescence in their axils and being regarded as 

 bracts). Inflorescence of simple, or more usually, panicled spikes 

 which are female in their lower part and male in their upper part, or 

 wholly 1 -sexual. FloAvers 1 -sexual each solitary in the axil of a bract 

 or " glume." Glumes usually numerous and imbricate all round 

 the axis of the spike (these glumes are not considered homologous 

 with the glumes of other Cyperacese but are probably bracts subtending 

 a very reduced spikelet).* Female with an upper proper glume 

 wrapping round and concealing the ovary, its margins entirely connate 

 and forming the " utricle " which is more or less bottle-shaped, 

 mouth of its neck or beak often shortly 2-fid. Stigmas 2 or 3 exserted 

 from the neck. Male floAver with 2-3 stamens without utricle or 

 perianth. Nut compressed or 3-gonous, included in the utricle. 



* Sometimes a slender rudimentary racheola occurs in the perigynium or 

 utricle at the base of the ovary as in the allied genus Xobresia in which the 

 utricle is split down one side. Both Carex and Kohreda are more abundant in 

 temi^erate regions. 



933 



