66 ME. H. N. RIDLEY ON THE 



Cypeeus brtjnneus, Sto. Fl. Ind. Occ. p. 116 ; Griseh. Fl. Brit. 

 W. Ind. p. 565. — C. purpurascens, VcM. — C. atlanticus, Hemsl. 

 Bot. Vol/. 'CJiall.,' Atlantic Isles, p. 130, t. xxiii. — C. olidus, BicJi. 



The commonest species of this genus upon the island is identical 

 with the C. atlanticus, Hemsley, obtained by Sir Joseph Hooker 

 upon the island of South Trinidad ; and I am quite unable to 

 separate it from C. Irunneus, Sw., of which there are type speci- 

 mens in the British Museum. Swartz's specimens are small and 

 stunted, but the plant grows much bigger and is very common 

 throughout the West Indies, being apparently a sea-shore plant. 

 I have seen it from Jamaica, Cuba, Tortola, St. Croix, Bahamas, 

 Martinique, St. Bartholomew, Barbados, and it also occurs in 

 Yucatan and Florida. Grisebach adds as synonym G. insignis, 

 Kunth, based on Sieber's Trinidad plant, no. 7, which differs in the 

 longer, more cylindrical nut, and narrower, more acute, almost 

 unribbed glumes, and also in habit, and is the C. planifolius, 

 Eichard, as is shown by a type from St. Croix in the British 

 Museum. C. brunneus, Sw., occurs on Fernando Noronha, 

 on Eat Island, in the open country with C. Ugulatns, and on the 

 main island at Leao Bay, Tangle Eock, Chaloupe Bay. In the 

 sand of Portuguese Bay and on rocks at the end of the Sapate on 

 Cape Placelliere was a more glaucous form with pallid spikelets. 

 In the open country it forms large tussocks very similar to those 

 of C. ligularis. It varies greatly in breadth of foliage. 



It is interesting to find this plant occurring in the West 

 Indies and Oceanic islands, but not on the South-American 

 continent. Perhaps it may be one of those plants which have 

 been distributed by the drifting of their seeds in the sea. 



C. NoEONH^, n. sp. 



Planta rupicola flaccida, rhizomate brevissimo, basi dilatato 

 Folia plurfi, augusta liuearia acuminata debilia, circiter 18 uncias 

 longa, Ig lineas lata ; carina et margine scabrida. Culmi 

 suba^quilongi triquetri. Umbella radiorum 7-10 valde inse- 

 qualium patula. Bractese iuvolucri 5, longse lineares acumi- 

 natse. Eadius lougissimus uncialis, basi vagina castanea. Spiculae 

 ad 30 in apicem congestse, circiter 5 unciam longis, ferruginese. 

 Ehachilla crassiuscula, alis scariosis magnis. Spiculae sessiles in 

 discis elevatis rotundatis. Glumse dua? ad basin spiculae ; gluma 

 infima lanceolata subacuta, superior latior obtusa. Glumse 

 alterse lanceolatse acutse, ferruginese, carina viridis, costis 

 elevaiis 10. Stamina tria. Stylus longuisculus tritidus rufus. 



