Mariscus.] clvi. CYPERACEiE (clarke), :*,Hli 



7. M. macropus, C. B. Clarke in Durand d- Schinr., Coiispect. Fl. 

 Afr. V. 500. Glabrous. Stems 10-20 in. long, slender, at the top 

 trigonous and smooth, at the base ovoid-oblong, very much thickened 

 by the sheaths of which the remains persist as coarse fibres ; stems 

 approximated in dense tufts. Leaves J-§ the length of the stem, very 

 narrow, long setaceous at the tips. Head 1, ovoid, J in. in diam., dirty 

 white; bracts 3, similar to the leaves, lowest 1-2 in. long, somewhat 

 dilated at the base. Spikelets \ in. long, narrow-lanceolate, very little 

 compressed, dirty straw-coloured, 8-10-tlowered, producing (5-8 nuts ; 

 caducous in one piece above the two lowest empty glumes. Glumes 

 ovate, obtuse, obscurqly 7-11-ribbed. Nut J-§ the length of the 

 glume, ellipsoid, trigonous, pyramidal at each end, dark-brown. Style 

 nearly as long as the nut; branches 3, linear. — Cyperus mcwro'pKJi^ 

 Boeck. in Flora, 1879, 550. 



xrile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Kurshook Ali's Seriba, SchweinfnHh, 

 1503 ! Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 1917 ! 



8. M. somaliensisy C. B. Clarke in Kew Bulletin, 1895, 229. 

 Glabrous. Stems 4-8 in. long, slender, at the top trigonous and 

 smooth, at the base oblong-ellipsoid, thickened by scarious (hardly 

 fimbriate) leaf-sheaths. Leaves J-§ the length of the stem, setaceous, 

 very weak. Head 1, |-1 in. in diam., of 5-11 digitate (or almost 

 spicate) chestnut-red spikelets ; bracts 3, setaceous, weak, lowest 1-2 in 

 long. Spikelets J by ^-TrV i^., 12-16-flowered, hardly at all com- 

 pressed, caducous in one piece above the two lowest empty glumes. 

 Glumes closely packed, elliptic-acuminate acute, very strongly 13- 

 ribbed, not keeled, persistent. Nut hardly J the length of the glume, 

 trigonous, obovoid, dark brown. Style very slender, nearly black, 

 much longer than the nut ; branches 3, linear, rather short. 



M"lle I^and. Somaliland, Mrs. Lort-Phillips ! 



t). M. Schimperi, Hochst. in Flora, 1841, i. Intell. 20. Glabrous. 

 Stolons 0. Stems approximate, 3-14 in. long, slender, at the top 

 trigonous and smooth, at the base oblong- thickened by brown sairious 

 entire or ultimately fimbriate leaf-sheaths. Leaves often as long avS 

 the stem, J^-i in. broad, weak. Head of usually :)-4 distinct spikes, 

 the central subcylindric, the lateral often shorter ; bracts 3-">, similar to 

 the leaves, lowest up to G in. long. Spikelets numerous, green more or 

 less variegated with red, \ in. long, oblong, compressed, producing 2-4 

 nuts, deciduous in one piece above the two lowest barren glumes. 

 Glumes ovate, subacute, 12-20-ribbed. Nut trigonous, oblong or 

 oblong-ellipsoid, f-J the length of the glumes, dark brown, dotted. 

 Style rather shorter than the nut; branches 3, longish. — Steud. 

 in Flora, 1842, 596, and Syn. PI. Glum. ii. 02; A. Rich: Tent. 

 Fl. Abyss, ii. 491 ; 0. B. Clarke in Durand & Schinz. Conspect. 

 Fl. Afr. V. 592. M. plateilema, Steud. in Flora, 1842, 59(1. 

 €yperus vaHegatiis, Boeck. in Linnsea, xxxvi. 337, var. & excl. syn. 

 C. duhiv^, Boeck. in Linnaea, xxxvi. 336 partly ; not of Vahl. 



