398 ERIOCAULONE^. [EHIOCAIM...N. 



anth inferior, persistent, outer as in the male, inner of 2-3 petals or pencils 

 of hairs. Staminodes 0. Ovary of 2-3 connate carpels ; style short, ter- 

 minal, persistent, stigmas 2-3 slender; ovnle solitary, pendulous from 

 near the top of each cell, orthotropous. Capsule membranous, 2-3-celled, 

 loculicidally 2-3-valved. Seed pendulous, testa coriaceous, epidermis 

 hyaline splitting into hairs, albumen floury ; embryo outside and at the 

 base of the albumen farthest from the hilum. DISTRIB. Chiefly trop. ; 

 genera 5 ; species 300. AFFINITIES. With Resticuxce and Xyridcce. 

 PROPERTIES. Unimportant. 



1. ERIOCAU'LON, L. PlPE-WORT. 



MALE fl. chiefly in the centre of the head. Outer perianth-segments sub- 

 spathulate. Stamens 4 or 6. DISTRIB. Of the Order ; species 50. ETYM. 

 <cptov and Kai\6s, from the woolly scapes of some species. 



1. E. septanarula're, With. ; leaves subulate, scape 6-8-furrowed. 

 Lakes in Skye, the Hebrides, and W. of Ireland from Connemara to Antrim ; 

 fl. Aug. Rootstock creeping, branched ; roots white, cellular Stem very 

 short, leafy. Leaves 2-f in., compressed laterally, green, translucent, sep- 

 tate. Scape 6-24 in., rarely more, twisted. Head fc-% in. diam. ; bracts 

 lead-coloured, oblong-obovate, obtuse. Flowers 2-merous ; outer segments 

 dark, bearded at the tip, inner ciliate with a black spot towards the tip. 

 Anthers dark. Ovary stalked. DISTRIB. N.America. 



ORDER XIV. CYPERA'CEJE. 



Grassy or rush-like herbs, usually perennial. Stems solid, often 3-gonous. 

 Leaves with closed sheaths. Flowers 1-2-sexual, in the axils of small 

 bracts (glumes), which are arranged in terete angled or compressed spike- 

 lets, beyond which the stamens and pistils project. Glumes concave, often 

 rigid, distichous or inserted all round the rachis, persistent or deciduous, 

 lower of each spikelet often empty. Perianth 0, or of 3-6 or more hypo- 

 gynous scales or bristles. Stamens 1-6, hypogynous, filaments linear, flat ; 

 anthers basifixed, pendulous, linear, dehiscing inwards, 2-celled, often with 

 a claw at the tip. Ovary 1-celled (in -Carex enclosed in a coriaceous utricle 

 (perigynium) formed of 1 folded or 2 connate bracteoles; style 1, stigmas 

 2-3 filiform papillose all over ; ovule solitary, erect, anatropous. Fruit 

 small, coriaceous, indehiscent, compressed or 3-gonous (in Carex enclosed 

 in the perigynium). Seed erect, testa membranous, albumen floury ; 

 embryo minute, lenticular, at the base and outside of the albumen. 

 DISTRIB. All climates; genera about 110; species about 2,000. AFFI- 

 NITIES. With Graminece. PROPERTIES. Unimportant. 

 TRIBE I. SCIRPE'/E. Spikelets terete. Ulvmes all but the 1-2 lower 

 flowering, persistent. Flowers 2- sexual. Perianth 0, or of bristles. 

 * Bristle* 0, or included within the glumes. 



Spikelets fascicled, usually lateral. Bristles 6 .1. Scirpus. 



Spikelets fascicled, lateral, rarely 1 terminal. Bristles 2. Isolcpis. 



Spikelet 1, terminal. Bristles 3-6 3. Eleocharis. 



Spikelets alternate or spiked. Bristles 3-6 4. Blysmus. 



