Cyperibs.'] clvi. cyperace^ (clarke). ;^28 



15. C. poecilus, C. B. Clarke. Glabrous. Rhizome short, hori- 

 zontal, thick, clothed by brown scales. Stem « in. long, rather slender 

 Leaves § the length of the stem, yV-yV i°- broad. Head 1, of 12-20 

 spikelets; bracts 3-4, lowest up to'rf in. long, similar to the' leaves' (i^e 

 very narrow). Spikelets J by -^ in., slightly compressed, n;-2()- 

 flowered, green variegated with purple. Glumes oblong, very closely 

 packed, rounded on the back, the excurrent mucro long, almost a 

 bristle; ribs numerous, strong. Style shorter than the nut'; branches 

 o, long, brown-red, much exserted. Nut \ the length of the glume 

 (mucro included), oblong ellipsoid. 



wile ]Land. Somaliland : Matidira, Keller, 88 ! 



Named many-coloured (poecilu<) on account of the green-straw spikelete being 

 spotted with purple, and ahnost comose from tiie red exserted styles. 



16. C. leucocephalus, Retz. Obs. v. 11. Glabrous. Stems 4-ln 

 in. long, slender, bulbous at the base, tufted. Leaves J-jj the length 

 of the stem, yV-rV i"- broad. Head 1, globose, pallid or cinnamon - 

 coloured, J -| in. in diam., of 6-40 spikelets; bracts 3, lowest 2 in. 

 long, similar to the leaves. Spikelets attaining ]^ by J in., but more 

 often about half these dimensions, much compressed. Glumes broad - 

 oblong, obtuse, ;)-l -nerved; closely placed, but in the dry state usually 

 not imbricated owing to the inrolling of the margins. Stamen (at 

 least very often) 1. Style much shorter than the nut ; branches M, 

 linear, medium short. Nut J-| the length of the glume, oblong, 

 round-trigonous, yellow, somewhat glistening. — Kunth, Enum. ii. 1)7 ; 

 Boeck. in Linnaea, xxxv. 590 ; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxi. 

 107, in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 602, and in Durand k Schinz. 

 Coaspect. Fl. Afr. v. 566 ; Ridley in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 

 137; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 141; Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. 

 Welw. ii. 115. C. seslerioides, Ridley in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2. Bot. 

 ii. loO, not of H. B. & K. C. Sorostachys, Boeck. in Linnfva, xxxv. 5H8. 

 Sorostaclv/s kylliiKiioides, Stend. S^n. PI. Glum. ii. 71. 



Upper Guinea. Senegal, Leprieur ! Soudan, Lecard, 1101 



JmO-wbt Guinea. Angola : Huilla ; banks of the River Cacolovar, 5000 ft., 

 Welwitsch, 1675 ! in spongy mountainous places at Hum]>ata. Welwitich, 6783 1 

 Pungo Andongo ; 3500 ft., Welwitsch, between the Prffsidium mid Quilanga, 

 Welwitsch, 6772 ! pastures of the Prsesidium near Quilanga and Catote, Welwitsch, 

 7146! 7147! 



Also in India, Malaya, Australia and Tropical America. 



This plant varies a good deal in tlie size of the spikelets, but has not been much 

 confused with any other Cyperus. It has been arranged, in the best herbaria, freely 

 with Kyllingia, Ascolepis, and Lipocarpha. 



17. C. zanzibarensis, C. B. Clarke in Durand d- Schinz, Con- 

 spect. Fl. Afr. v. 581. Glabrous. Stems 10 in. long, medium stout, 

 bulbous at the base with torn black leaf -sheaths, tufted. Leaves J-ij 

 the length of the stem, narrow. Head 1, § by J in., dense. wbit«, of 

 very numerous spikelets; bracts 8-4, lowest 2-3 in. long, similar to 

 the leaves. Spikelets J by \-l in., linear-oblong, compressed, 6-10- 



