Cyperus.] clvi. cyperace^ (clarke). 343 



nXozamb. 3>lst. British Central Africa : Nyasaland ; in damj) plnccs on tlie 

 Nyika Mountains, 6000-7000 ft., Whyte ! Zomba Hook, Whyte ! 



The diagnosis above given is drawn from Schimper, 348.' With this, Scott- 

 Elliot, 7779, closely agre&s. The southern Nyasaland examples of Whyte have the 

 spikelets-ratLer smaller, the glumes smaller and closer together on the rhachilla. 



55, C. derreilema, Steud. in Flcyra, 1842, 585. Tall, robust. 

 Umbel 4-7 in. in diam., dense with innumerable heads, red. Spikelets 

 i~3 ^y tV i"- (i-®-j larger than in C.Jischerianits), moderately compressed, 

 somewhat turgid, soft. Glumes rather close together on the rhachilla, 

 not rigid nor mucronate ; otherwise as C.Jischeriamui.- — Steud. 8yn. PI. 

 Glum. ii. 20 ; A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss, ii. 488 ; Boeck. in Linntea, 

 XXXV. 583 ; C. B. Clarke in Durand & Schinz, Conspeet. Fl. Afr. v. ^yhij ; 

 Engl. Ilochgebirgsfi. Trop. Afr. 141. 



Wile Ziand. Abyssinia : in the middle region of Mount Silke, Schimper, 659 ! 

 and without precise locality, Schimper, 534 ! British East Africa: Ruwenzori, 

 10,000 ft., in the bamboo forest, Scott-Elliot, 7731 1 



This species again is exceedingly near the preceding; and the difficulty of 

 diagnosing it is not lessened by the fact that in Schimper, 659 (the type of authors), 

 the spikelets have been attacked by smut, and no good nut is to be seen. 



50. C. Ajax, C B. Clarke. Glabrous. Top of the stem stout, 

 triquetrous. Umbel 10-12 in. in diam., decompound ; rays and raylets 

 numerous, stout ; bracts overtopping the umbel, |-1 in. broad, iJ-nerved. 

 Spikes 200-400 to the umbel, red-brown, of 8-5 spikelets each. Spike- 

 lets -J by ^ in., compressed, 6-10-flowered. Glumes ovate, with a small 

 mucro. Nut ^ the length of the glume, ovoid, at the base and apex 

 pyramidal. Otherwise as C. derreilema. 



BXozamb. £>ist. British Central . Africa : Nyasaland ; Mount Zomba, 4000- 

 6000 ft., TThyte ! Mount Malosa, 4000-6000 ft., IVhyte ! 



Tile two collections of this each show the umbel oidy with the bracts cut down. 

 It differs from C. derreilema in the shorter, broader, more compressed spikelets 

 as well as in the very broad bracts. 



57. C. diflFusus, Fa^Z, ^nwm. ii. 321. Glabrous. Stolons ; roots 

 wiry. Stem 1-2 ft. long, triquetrous at the top. Leaves often numerous, 

 as long as the stem, J-J in. broad, 3-nerved. Umbel 4-10 in. in diam., 

 usually compound or "decompound, rather dense, green ; bracts 5-8, 

 long, overtopping the umbel, similar to the leaves. Spikes digitate, of 

 3-9 spikelets. Spikelets \-^ by ^ in., 4-14-flowered, compressed. Glumes 

 ovate, acutely keeled, grey-green, strongly 7-11 -nerved, with a recurved 

 conspicuous mucro, in fruit squarrose (being forced outwards by the 

 large nut). Style short ; branches 3, linear, long. Nut large, nearly 

 as long as the glume (excluding its mucro), broadly ellipsoid, trigonous, 

 smooth, dusky black.— Kunth, Enum. ii. 30; C. B. Clarke in Hook. J. 

 Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 603, and in Durand & Schinz, Conspeet. Fl. Afr. v. 557; 

 Durand & Schinz, Etudes, Fl. Congo, i. 286 ; Urban, Symb. Antill. ii. 

 30; Bendle in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 113. C. eUgans, Swartz, Obs. 

 Bot. 30 ; Kunth, Enum. ii. 28 ; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 541) ; Boeck. 

 in LinncTa. xxxv. 532 ; Ridley in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. 11. 135 ; 



