Toruliniiim.] clvi. cyperace^ (clarke). 40i> 



persistent glume) holding tight the nut ; otherwise as Mariscits. — 

 Cyperus, Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pi. iii. 1043, partly. 



Species 8, viz., 7 in Tropical America and the subjoinetl in the Tropics of botli 

 hemispheres. 



The 8 species of Torulinitim form" a very closely-allied group, separated by 

 an absolute character from all other Ci/perecB ; and may be arranged as a distinct 

 genus, or as a subgenus of Mariscits. 



1. T. confertum, Hamilt. Prod. Ind. Occid. 1825, 15. Glabrous^ 

 medium -sized to very large. Stolons 0. Stem 1-4 ft. high, at the top 

 trigonous or triquetrous, smooth or somewhat rough. Leaves often J 

 the length of the stem, ^ in. broad. Umbel compound, 4-6 in. in 

 diam. (but sometimes very large, sometimes condensed into 1 head); 

 bracts long, similar to the leaves. Axis of a spike often | in. long, 

 with 20 rectangularly spreading spikelets. Spikelets ^ by -^^ in., 

 yellowish to brown, terete, with 4-16 (usually 6-7) nuts ; rhachilla 

 wavy. Glumes elliptic, obtuse, 7-ribbed, not keeled, ultimately 

 adpressed-erect or rigidly spreading. Nut h the length of the glume, 

 oblong or somewhat obovoid, trigonous, black. Style ^ the length of 

 the nut ; branches 3, linear. — Urban, Symb. An till. ii. 53. T. ferox^ 

 Kunth, Enum. ii. 90 in citation. Cyperiis odoratus, Linn. Sp. PL ed. i. 

 46 as to the plate of Sloane cited only, not of ed. ii. 68, nor of Linn, 

 herb, propr. ; Boeck. in Linnsea, xxxvi. 67. C. ferax, L. 0. Rich, in 

 Act. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris, i. (1792) 106 ; Kunth, Enum. ii. 89 ; Boeck. 

 in Linnaea, xxxvi. 399 ; Kidley in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 142 ; 

 K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 123. C. rhaphiosiachys, Kunth, 

 Enum. ii. 68; Boeck. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 541, and in 

 Linnsea, xxxvi. 352. C. pseudostrigosus, Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. ii. -J (5. 

 C. consocius, Steud. ex Jardin in Mem. Soc. Sc. Nat. Cberb. iv. (1856) 

 11, and r. (1857) 299. Mariscus ferax, C. B. Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. 

 Brit. Ind. vi. 624, and in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 587 ; 

 Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 120. 



Upper Guinea. Lagos : Ebute Metta, Millen, 11 ! 



Jto-wer Guinea. Princes Island, Welwitsch, 7033 ! Newton, 7 I Angola : Icolo 

 e Bengo ; margin of Lake Quilunda, Wehvitsch, 7052 ! Huilla ; near Monino, 

 Welwitsch, 6880 ! 



Mozamb. Dist. Common on the Zambesi, ex BoecJceler. 



Throughout the Tropics, abundant in Oceania and America. 



I unite the names above cited under one widespread and variable species. This 

 being done, the present plant has 71 published names, besides a large number of 

 " MS." names published in citations without descriptions. 



7. COURTOISIA, Nees ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 1046. 



Spikelets compressed, 1-10-flowered. disarticulating in one piece above 

 the two lowest empty glumes. Fertile glumes distichous, boat-shaped, 

 narrowly winged on the keel. Style 3-fid, persistent. Nut narrowly 

 oblong, trigonous. — Glabrous annuals. Stems naked, i.e. bearing all the 



