Fimhristylis.'] clvi. cyperace.e (clarke). 427 



puberulous and scabrid, 14 in. high, with many leaves at the base. 

 Leaves close together, rigid, falcate, spreading, linear, flat, obtuse, sheaths 

 very short, edges subciliate at the base scabrous above, 5-4 in. by 

 l-l\ line. Umbel decompound, 12-rayed ; bracts 2, scarcely 1 in. long ; 

 rays spreading, very unequal, setaceous, compressed subangular, sub- 

 puberulous scabrous, the outer 2-1 in. long, with 8 secondary rays, the 

 inner ;^-4 lin. long with 1 spikelet ; secondary rays capillary, unequal, 

 exterior with 3 spikelets, the rest with 1 spikelet ; bracts to secondary 

 umbels 2, setaceous, short. Spikelets in fruit ovate-lanceolate, acute, 

 terete, 8-0-flowered, 2 lin. long. Glumes rigid, sub-4-ranked, spreading 

 at the tip, round-ovate, obtuse, strongly and obtusely keeled, nerveless, 

 longish mucronate, on the disc rust-coloured or fuscous, towards the 

 edge paler, shining, the 2 lowest empty, smaller, round, long-mucronate. 

 Nut small, J the length of the glume, round-obovate, but little narrowed 

 at the base, at the top obtuse, bare, trigonous, densely sprinkled over 

 by granules carrying pores, snow-white, pearly-glistening. Style short 

 and slender, conically thickened at the base ; stigmas 3 or 2, exserted. 

 Stamens !-?>. 



Upper Guinea. Guinea, Thonning (ex BoeeJceler). 



Boeckeler adds that he formerly referred this species to F. scaberrima, but that 

 he now regards it :is near F. muricatnla. It is douhtless some remarkable plant both 

 from the nut being thickly clothed by poriferous gt anules and from the style-branches 

 being 3 or 2. 



10. BULBOSTYLIS, Kunth, Enum. ii. 205. 



Spikelet of many spirally imbricate glumes, lowest 1 or 2 empty, many 

 or several succeeding glumes 2-sexual and perfecting nuts, uppermost 

 male or sterile. Hypogynous bristles 0. Stamens 8-2, anterior. Style 

 glabrous, linear, deciduous leaving its enlarged base as a dark-coloured 

 button on the nut ; branches 3 (2 in B, striatellct), linear. Nut obovoid 

 (sometimes narrowly so), very obtuse or truncate, pallid till quite ripe. — 

 Stolons ; rhizome or very short. Stems slender. Leaves all near the 

 base of the stem, very narrow (nearly always setaceous or capillary) often 

 hairy ; leaf-sheaths generally with needle-like white hairs in the throat. 

 Inflorescence a terminal umbel, simple or compound, or reduced to a 

 head or 1 spikelet. Flower-glumes nearly always pubescent on the 

 back. — FimbristyliSj Sect. Oncostylis, Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 

 1049. 



Species 74, in the tropics or warmer regions of the world, especially in Africa 

 and America where one species extends north to Canada. 



*Style 2-fid. Stem slender, with 1 spikelet . . 1. B. striatella. 



**Style 3-fid. Stem slender, with 1 spikelet. 

 Nut transversely wavy. 



Spikelet h in. long, with numerous nuts . . 2. B.festucoides. 



Spikelet \ in. long, with nuts only in the basal 



half . . . . . . . 4. B. sphcerocarpus. 



Nut smooth ; spikelet ^ in., oblong-ellipsoid, 



obtuse . . . . - . . 3. 5. zamhesica. 



