408 CLvi. c'YPERACE.^ (clarke). [Meocharis. 



pallid.— Knnth, Enum. ii. 150, excl. several syns. ; Benth. in 

 Hook. Niger Fl. ;'):>;$; C. B. Clarke in Hook. f. El. Brit. Ind. vi. G27; 

 and in Durand A: Schinz, Conspect. El. Afr, v, 51)7, incl. var. /3 ; 

 Durand iV Schinz, Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 299; Urban, Symb. Antill. ii. 

 ()6. A\ setacea, II. Br. Prodr. 2'2b, not the homonymous sp. 224 , 

 Kunth, Enum. ii. 15(). Scirpus capitatus, Linn. herb, partly; Yahl, 

 Enum. ii. 250. /leleocharis capitaia, Boeck in Linniea, xxxvi. 461 ; 

 K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 124. 



Upper auinea. Senegal, Eo^er ! Heiidelot, 549 ! Perrottet, 198 ! 828 ! 

 830 ! Sierra Leoue : Bagru River, Mann, 891 ! Liberia : Cape Pahnas, Togel, 1 ! 



KTile Xiand. Somaliland, Bevoil^ 137 ! 



Kower Guinea. Lower Congo, Smith ! 



Also in Arabia, India, China, Malaya, Australia, Polynesia, and throughout 

 America. 



The hypogynous bristles, when reduced to a small 6-toothed cup, were called by 

 Nees a disc, Kunth supposed that by " disc " Nees understood the obpyramidal 3- 

 (or several-) toothed gynophore of Scleria and of many species of Fimbristylis^ 

 But the two discs are not homologous : the stamens are entirely within the "disc '* 

 of Eleocharis, entirely without the disc of Fimhristylis . 



G. E. paliistris, R. Br. Prodr. 224, in note. Glabrous. Rhizome 

 creeping. Stems 4-20 in. long. Spikelet J-f by i in., subcylindric, 

 dense, chestnut to dusky straw-colour. Glumes elliptic, obtuse. 

 Hypogynous bristles (;, retror«e-scabrous, slightly longer than the nut, 

 ferruginous-brown, but variable in number, often 4, more or less 

 depauperated, occasionally 0. Stamens normally ?>. Style- branches 2.. 

 Nut h the length of the glume, obovoid, biconvex, yellowish to brown; 

 style-base ovoid or conic with a constriction (neck) above the nut, pallid 

 or dusky or red-spotted. — Kunth, Enum. ii, 147 ; C. B. Clarke in 

 Hook. f. El. Brit, Ind. vi. Q2^, in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. El. Afr. 

 V. GOO, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 198 ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI, Welw. 

 ii. 121. Scirpus 2'>(<'hisir{s, Linn. Sp. PI. ed. ii. 70 partly; Desf. El. 

 Atlant. i. 47. Ileleocharis palnscris,'Lind]. Syn. Brit. El, 280 ; Webb<i: 

 Berth. lies Canaries Phyt, iii. o65 ; Coss. & Durieu, Expl. Scient. 

 Alger. Glum. 238 ; Boeck in Linnsea, xxxvi. 4GG excl. all with 3 style- 

 branches ; J. Ball in Journ, Linn. Soc. xvi. 702 ; Ridley in Trans. Linn. 

 Soc. ser, 2, Bot. ii. 149 ; Engl. Hochgebirgsfi. Trop, Afr. 149 partly. 



Xiower G-ulnea. Angola : Huilla ; damp sandy places by the river in the 

 Lopollo District, Welwitsch, 6969 I 



Almost througliout the world, as abundant as widespread; I have seen no 

 example from Australia or from Brnzil. 



'7. E. chsetaria, Roem. d- Schultes, Syst. Veg. ii. 154, Mant. 90, 540.. 

 Glabrous. Roots fibrous, rarely with a white filiform rhizome 1 in, long. 

 Stems 1-G in. long, tufted. Spikelets \-\ in. long, ovoid, pallid or red- 

 tinged, maturing 1-5 nuts, sometimes proliferous at the base, i.e. stem, 

 with 2 pikelets. Lower nut-bearing glumes in 2-3 spirals, boat- 

 shaped, hardly acute. Hypogynous bristles C, as long as the nut. 



I 



