326 CLVi. CYPERACE^ (clarke). [^Cypcrus. 



C. curvulusy Boeck. in Linnaea, xxxv. 541 partly. C. densus and C. 

 involutits, R. Br. in Salt, Abyss. Append. 63 (names only). 



ITile ]Land. Hanish (Harnish) Island, in the Red Sea, Slade ! Eritrea: near 

 Massowa, Steudner, 9162, Schweinfurth Sf Eiva, 208 ! Abyssinia, Salt ! 



Also in Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Socotra and Sind. 



The spikelets in this species are usually 20-40-flowered (the glumes standing 

 much closer than in C. conglomeratus), and sometimes they are (though narrow) 

 more than li in. long with 60 flowers. It should be understood that this series (our 

 species 19-21) are considered but one species by Boissier and by Cosson (botanists 

 who generally took a narrow view of species) ; while Boeckeler has described them jis 

 6 or 7 species. The variability of the series is great, and a middle course has been 

 taken here of collecting the forms under the 3 old types of Rottboell, But as 

 Boeckeler has grounded his species largely on the size of the specimens, the curva- 

 ture of the stems, &c. (esteemed as of small import here), the synonymy has become 

 both complex and imperfect. 



22. C. maritim-us, Poir. in Lam. Encycl. vii. 240. Glabrous. 

 Stolons up to 12 in. long, ^ in. in diam., terete; nodes 1 in. apart, 

 scales 1 in. long, elliptic-oblong.; roots not woolly. Stems 4-16 in. 

 long, stout, trigonous, smooth, often approximate. Leaves often as 

 long as the stem, \-\ in. broad, coarse, tough, hardly scabrous. Umbel 

 much contracted, usually 1 compound head, when young pallid or 

 cinnamon-coloured, when ripe deep brown; bracts 3-6, lowest 4-8 in. 

 long, similar to the leaves. Spikelets often 10-20 to a spike (3 or 5 

 spikes agglomerated or nearly so), J by J in., 8-14-flowered, slightly 

 compressed. Glumes ovate, obtuse, hardly apiculate, round on the 

 back, many-nerved. Nut J the length of the glume, obovoid, shining 

 black. — Kunth, Enum. ii. 47; Boeck. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 

 539, and in Linnaea, xxxv. 539 ; C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xx. 

 285, and in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 569 ; Ridley in 

 Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 135 ; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Air. 

 C. 119; Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 290; Rendle in Cat. 

 Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 1 1 3. C. rigidus, Vahl, Enum. ii. 309. C. heterophyllus, 

 Boeck. in Flora, 1859, 441. 



TTpper Guinea. Gold Coast, Krause, 103 ! 



XfOixrer Guinea. Congo, Smith ! Daniell I Angola : Ambriz ; near Ponta 

 d'Ambriz, Welwitsch, 7039 ! Loanda ; in dry sandy and gravelly soil, Wehoitsch, 

 7044 ! 7050 ! 



BKozamb. Blst. Zanzibar, Hildehrandt, 1068 ! Kuntze, 204 ! German EHst 

 'Africa : Usaramo ; Bagamoya, Hildehrandt, 1068b ! Rovuma River, Meller ! 

 Rovuma Bay, Kirk I Portuguese East Africa : Raza Island, Forhes, 42 ! Beira, 

 Kuntze^ 302 ! Quilimane, Berlin Herb. ! Zambesi Delta ; Kongone River, Kirk ! 



Also in Madagascar. 



The spikelets flowers and nuts in this species are exceedingly like those of large 

 examples of C. conglomeratus. 



Var. crassipes, C. B. Clarke in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 569. 

 Stems very stout, tufted on a sliort thick oblique rhizome. Umbel contracted into 

 1 dense compound head 2 in. (sometimes more) in diam., with 60-100 spikelets. 

 — Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 291 ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 114. 



