304 CLVi. CYPERACiEE (clarke). [Oi/peinis. 



Tliis species' is known from C. longus, Linn., and C. rotundiis, Linn., by the 

 narrower spikelets with exactly parallel sides. The stem being suberect and bulbous 

 at the base distinguishes it further from C. lovgus. In the cases (C. Baikiei, 

 C. B. Clarke formerly) where the bulb is large and very woody, no stolons are seen : 

 when the solitary stems spring from a creeping root, the basal bulb is usually much 

 less marked. 



08. C. congensis, C. B. Clarke. Glabrous. Stems erect, 8-12 in. 

 long, rather stout, at the base thickened into woody bulbs, at the top 

 round-trigonous. Leaves often longer than the stem, ^-J in. broad. 

 Umbel simple, contracted ; rays 3-6, 0-| in. long ; bracts 4-6, often 

 6-14 in. long. Spikelets densely clustered, dusky-brown, 1 by yV^iV 

 in., 30-flowered ; rhachilla scarcely winged. Glumes loosely spreading, 

 obtuse ; margins scarious. Style hardly any ; branches 3, long. Nut 

 I the length of the glume, oblong, pyramidal at each end, trigonous, 

 brown. 



Soutb Central. Congo Free State : Bussindi, 1000 ft.. Hens, 391 I 



99. C. Heudelotii, C. B. Clarke. Glabrous. The stolons harden 

 into a rhizome 1 in. thick. Stems 8-12 in. long, slender, their bases 

 i in. in diam., globose, woody. Leaves nearly as long as the stem, 

 hardly ^e ^^- broad, the margins in the dried examples inrolled. 

 Umbel almost contracted into a head, 1 in. in diam., of 30 spikelets ; 

 bracts 3, the lowest suberect, 4 in. long. Spikelets nearly J by yV in., 

 flattened, pallid, 12-18-llowered ; rhachilla not winged. Style 3-fid ; 

 immature nut acutely triquetrous. 



Upper Guinea. Senegal, Heudelot ! (in herb. Delessert). 



100. C. rotundus, Linii. Sp, Fl. ed. 2, 67, not of Linn. herb. 

 Glabrous. Rhizome woody, creeping, with tuberous thickenings. Stems 

 8-24 in. long, at the top trigonous and smooth, at the base more or less 

 bulbous. Leaves f the length of the stem, \-\ in. broad. Umbel 1-8 in. 

 in diam., compound or simple; bracts 3-4, overtopping the umbel. 

 Spikelets loosely spicate, ferruginous-red or chestnut-red (but see var. 

 spadicea),l-\ byyV-yV in., 8-30-flowered (or in Tropical Africa a large 

 form occurs with spikelets up to 2 in. long, 50-60 flowered, very bright- 

 coloured), compressed ; wings of rhachilla conspicuous, hyaline, con- 

 tinued up the lower margins of the glumes, at length deciduous. 

 Glumes approximate, boat-shaped, ovate, pointed, 1-3 nerves forming 

 the yellow keel, not spreading in dried examples, not striated on 

 the sides. Stamens 3 ; connective of anthers very little produced. 

 Nut J the length of the glume, trigonous, obovoid, dark-brown ; style 

 shorter than the nut; branches 3, linear, longish. — Kunth, Enum. 

 ii. 58 (excl. C. hulbosus, Vahl, and some other syn.) ; Boeck. in Linn^ea, 

 xxxvi. 283, and in Flora, 1879, 554 ; Coss. k Durieu, Expl. Scient. 

 Alger. Glum. 247; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 550; Schweinf. PI. 

 Nilot. 42, Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 215, and in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. 

 ii. 49 ; Oliver in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 165 ; C. B. Clarke in Hook. f. 

 Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 614, in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 574, 



