798 CYPERACEE., [ Uncinia. 
others. Female flowers with the ovary included in a flask-shaped 
organ called the utricle or perigynium; style long, protruding; 
branches 3, filiform. Rhachilla produced beyond the mouth of the 
utricle into a long bristle hooked at the tip. Nut trigonous or 
subcompressed, enclosed in the peristent more or less enlarged 
utricle. 
A genus of about 30 species, found in Australia and Tasmania, New Zealand, 
and America from Mexico and the West Indies to Fuegia. Of the 12 species 
native in New Zealand, 4 extend to Australia and Tasmania, and 1 to South 
America, the remaining 7 are endemic. The genus only differs from Carex 
in the rhachilla being exserted beyond the utricle in the shape of a hooked 
bristle. The New Zealand species are highly variable and most difficult of 
discrimination. U. purpwrata, cespitosa, riparia, rupestris, and filiformis 
present an almost unbroken series of forms, and I doubt if any two observers 
would arrive at the same conclusions respecting them, even if they worked on 
the same material. 
Section A. Spike short and broad, 4-1imn. long, oblong or linear-oblong, dense- 
flowered. 
Culms 2-9in., rather stout. Leaves shorter than the 
culms, 75-7yin. diam. Spike pale, 3-lin. Utricle 
scabrid .. ora ne Le - .. 1. U. Sinclairn. 
Culms 2-6in., weak. Leaves longer than the culms, 
filiform, 4- "dy in. diam. a pale, 4-4 in. Utricle 
very small, lanceolate 2. U. tenella. 
Culms 4— 9in., slender, strict. Leaves shorter ‘than the 
culms, filiform, j)-35in. diam. Spike brownish, 
4-2in. Ubtricles conspicuously nerved 3. U. nervosa. 
Culms 3-12in., stout. Leaves flat, grasssy, 4.- -tin. diam. 
Spike brown or chestnut- brown, $-lin. long. Utricles 
faintly nerved 55 Bc ae at .. 4. U. compacta. 
Section B. Spike elongated, 1-6 in. long, linear or narrow linear-oblong, dense- 
flowered, continuous. 
Culms 6-14in., stout or slender. Leaves flat, grassy ; 
sheaths dusky-brown. Spike brownish, 1-2in. Glumes 
oblong-obovate, usually obtuse Bic Be 
Culms 6-14in., slender. Leaves flat, grassy, 74-4 in. 
diam. Spike pale or green, 14-3in. Glumes oblong- 
lanceolate, acute or acuminate =f . 6. U. ce@spitosa. 
Culms 9-20in., slender. Leaves flat, grassy, ti in. broad. 
Spike 3-6 in., linear-elongate. Glumes oblong. lanceo- 
late, brownish Ai x¢ ye 3 .. 1%. U. australis. 
5. U. purpurata. 
Section C. Spike 3-4in. long, linear, very slender, lax-flowered, wsually- m- 
terrupted towards the base. 
Culms 12-24in., slender. Leaves flat, #—;,in. diam. 
Spike 13-5in. Ubtricles distinctly scabrid above .. 8. U. leptostachya. 
Culms 9-20in., slender. Leaves flat or slightly involute, 
go—zy in. diam. Spike 14-4in., green. Glumes always 
shorter than the utricles, in var. Banksii barely half 
their length if 9. U. riparia. 
Everywhere red - brown. Culms 6-14 in., strict, rigid. 
Leaves usually shorter than the culms, flat or involute, 
ps-yyin. Spike 1-2in., gid. Glumes ee as long 
as the utricles se .. 10. U. rubra. 
