North Americati Cyperacea, 383 



Whole plant pale green, minutely and sparsely hairy. Culm 

 10 — 20 inches high, slender. Leaves linear, flat, subacute. Fas- 

 cicles closely sessile, somewhat remotely and alternately disposed at 

 the summit of the culm, reflexed when old. Bracts minute and seta- 

 ceous, sometimes none ; that of the lowest' fascicle occasionally some- 

 what foliaceous. Sjnkelets 4 — 6 in each fascicle, staminiferous above. 

 Scales of the fertile flowers hispid, scarious, tawny or purplish, with a 

 green keel, which is produced into a long and firm cusp ; those of the 

 staminate flowers fascicled, lanceolate or linear, obtuse and pointless, 

 glabrous. Stamens 3. Nut about half a line in diameter, smooth and 

 shining, minutely apiculate with the base of the style, slightly raised 

 upon a 3-sided base, each side furnished at its junction with the spheri* 

 cal portion with about 7 very minute pores or dots. 



Hab. Carolina to Florida, Michaux ; New Orleans, T. 

 Drummond ! and Dr. Ingalls ! ; Middle Florida, Dr. Chap' 

 man ! 



Obs. There is some confusion about the synonomy of this 

 plant, which I have not the means of reconciling. Our plant 

 is the S. interriipta of Michaux, as I have ascertained by 

 examining the specimens in his herbarium ; and in a note ap- 

 pended to the specific character, that author states his plant to 

 be identical with a species collected in French Guyana by L. 

 C. Richard. He does not, however, quote Richard's paper 

 in the Transactions of the Nat. Hist. Society of Paris, where 

 S. interrupta was originally established (which I regret that I 

 am unable to consult) ; but inasmuch as it is well known that 

 the collections of Michaux were studied, and in a good degree 

 described, by Richard himself, who may be supposed to know 

 his own species, we might rest satisfied of the identity of the 

 North American and the Guyana plant, were it not that Will- 

 denow, who seems to know the latter plant, describes it as 

 having a transversely rugose-verrucose nut, and as very closely 

 resembling S. verticillata. It is possible, therefore, that 

 Michaux may have been mistaken, and that our plant is not 

 the original S. interrupta, Pursh and Elliott both copy the 



Vol. III. 49 



