296 CLvi. CYPERACEiE (clarke). [Pycrens. 



Xrile l^and. Kordofan : Abu Gerad, Kotschy, 53 ! and without precise 

 locality, Stendner, 910! Abyssinia: Samen; near Gapdia, Schimper, 8211 British 

 East Africa : by the River Tana, Gregory, 97 1 Rabai Hills, near Mombasa, 

 Taylor ! 



]Lo'wer Guinea. Angola : Loanda ; at Represa de Maghaiaes, near Conceicao, 

 Welwitsch, 7076 ! Pungo Andongo; Catete and Umbilla, Welwitsch, QQO^ \ between 

 the Praesidium and Quilanga, Welwitsch, 6921! Mossamedes; banks of the River 

 Bero, Welwitsch, 6888 ! Huilla, 5000 ft. ; in fields near Lopollo, Welwitsch, 6854 \ 

 plentiful in damp fields, Welwitsch, 6879b ! 



Mozamb. Sist. German East Africa : Kilimanjaro, 5000 ft., Ta^ior/ British 

 Central Africa : Zambesi Valley ; Boruma, Menyharth, 1051 partly ! 



Also m Socotra, India, China, Malaya and North Australia. 



The huge synonomy of this plant has grown up from Cyperologists giving import- 

 ance to the length of the raucro to the glume. In this, as in several other species 

 of the Order, it is a character of no value. 



13. P. puxnilus, Nees in Linncea, ix. 283. Annual ; stems 

 csespitose, 2-10 in. long. Leaves basal, often as long as the stem, 

 ^— J in. broad. Umbel of spikes simple, rays 4-7 ; bracts 3-5, lowest 

 up to 6 in. long, similar to the leaves. Spikelets 5-10 in a spike, J by 

 \ in., 8-flowered, much compressed, straw-coloured or pale brown,, 

 glistening. Glumes broad-ovate, keel excurrent in a mucro, strongly 

 2-3-ribbed on each face. Nut J-| the length of the glume, ellipsoid, 

 flat, ashy-black.— C. B. Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 591. 

 Cyperus hyalinibs, Yahl, Enum. ii. 329 ; Kunth, Enum. ii. 3 ; Boeck. 

 in Linnsea, xxxv. 482. C. pumilus, Nees in Wight, Contrib. 74, excl. 

 all syn. ; Kunth, Enum. ii. 4 mostly, not of Linn. 



lMEozaxn1>a I>ist. Mozambique, Kuntze, 303' 



Also in Madagascar, South India and Timor. 



It is unfortunate that, in transferring this species and the last to Fycreus, Nees 

 should have interchanged their Linnean specific names under Cyperus. The species 

 is a striking one ; plentiful in the Linnean and old collections ; then hardly collected 

 for a century ; now very rarely received. 



14. P. polystachyos, Beauv. FL Owar. ii. 48, t. SQ,Jig, 2. Roots 

 fibrous. Stems tufted, 1-2J ft. long. Leaves basal, longer or shorter 

 than the stem, ^-i in. broad. Spikes (more or less evidently com- 

 pound) in an umbel of 1-7 rays, each of 10-50 spikelets (but see 

 var. ^), erect even in fruit ; bracts 3-6, lowest 4-12 in. long, similar 

 to the leaves. Spikelets | by ^^ in., linear, not wider towards the 

 base, 20-50- flowered, dusky straw-coloured or somewhat red-tinged. 

 Glumes ovate, tip triangular, muticous. Nut J-f the length of the 

 glume, oblong, nearly symmetric, brown. — C. B. Clarke in Hook, 

 f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 592, in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 

 540, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 157; Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fl. 

 Congo, i. 281 ; Urban, Symb. Antill. ii. 17 ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. 

 PI. Welw. ii. 108. Cyperua polyatachyosj R. Br. Prod. 214; Kunth, 

 Enum.ii. 13 ; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 549 ; Krauss in Flora, 1845, 

 754 ; Boeck. in Linnsea, xxxv. 477, in Flora, 1879, 547 incl. var., and 

 in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 535 ; Coss. & Durieu, Expl. Scient. 



