Mynchospora.'] clvi. cyperace^ (clark). 47J) 



leaves and the 1 head (rarely a leaf-bearing node 3-4 in. above the 

 base is present). Leaves often overtopping the stem, almost setaceous 

 or up to -f^ in. broad. Head \—\ in. in diam., of many lanceolate 

 spikelets, rusty- brown ; bracts 8-8, ascending, usually overtopping the 

 head, linear, often villous or cilia te on the margins. Spikelets \-\ in. 

 long, of 0-7 glumes ; 4 lowest glumes empty, 5th rather larger, con- 

 taining a bisexual fertile flower, 6th male or empty. Hypogynous 

 setae usually G, as long as the nut, stiff, scabrid, with upward-pointing 

 barbs, sometimes 6-4, weaker hardly J the length of the nut. Stamens 

 ■3, anticous; anthers crested. Style long, linear, red, at the top minutely 

 2-fid. Nut I the length of the glume, biconvex, compressed laterally, 

 smooth or sometimes minutely scabrous on the shoulders, dark brown ; 

 beak J the length of the nut, much narrower than it, short conic, dusky 

 straw-coloured or green. — C. B. Clarke in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. 

 PI. Afr. V. 655. Rhynchospora Hcenkei, Presl, Rel. Haenk. i. 101). 

 R. wallichiana, Kunth, Enum. ii. 289 ; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 555 ; 

 Boeck. in Linnsea, xxxvii. 542, excl. the American examples; K. Schum. 

 in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 127 {Wallichii). S2:>hcjeroschcenus Wallichii, 

 Arn. & Nees in Nova Acta Nat. Cur. xix. Suppl. i. 97. 



Upper Guinea. Liberia : Grand Bassa^ Yogel, 105 ! 



Xio-wer CruJlnea. Corisco Island, Mantis 1897 ! 



IMEozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Hildehrandt, 1275 ! 



Also in Mauritius, India, and extending to Japan, New Guinea and Queensland. 



2. R. erinacea, C. B. Clarke in Durand d- Schinz^ Conspect. Fl. 

 Afr. V. 654. Minutely puberulous-scabrous. Stems 2-2 J ft. long, with 

 strong lateral offsets at the base, and no nodes between the basal leaves 

 {which sheath the stem 8 in. up) and the 1 head. Leaves 8-16 by 

 i in. Head 1 in. in diam., with numerous lanceolate white spikelets ; 

 bracts 3, spreading, lowest up to 8 by J in., minutely pubescent or 

 glabrate. Spikelets very young; no setae found, possibly not yet 

 developed. Style long, at the tip very shortly 2-fid. — Rendle in Cat. 

 Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 132. Schvunus erinaceus, Ridley in Trans. Linn. 

 Soc. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 165, t. 23, fig. 5-9. 



Ko^ver Guinea. Angola : Huilla ; near the stream of Monino and Mupanda, 

 WelwitscTi. 6788 ! 



The style is shown erroneously by Ridley's artist with 3 linear branches. The 

 plant in young flower appears very near a Brasilian Rynchospora (Burchell's 7023 

 in herb. Kew.), but has much longer bracts. 



3. R. cyperoides, Britton in Trans. Nev) York Acad. xi. 84. 

 Nearly glabrous. Rhizome short, arising from basal offsets (short 

 stolons). Stem usually 1-2 ft. long, carrying 1-25 heads in a loose 

 irregular corymb. Leaves long, often overtopping the stem, J-l in. 

 broad. ^ Heads about J in. in diam., globose, white or pallid, of about 

 8-24 spikelets ; bracts similar to the leaves. Spikelets \-\ in. long, 

 lanceolate or elliptic- lanceolate, perfecting 1 or 2 nuts ; lowest 4 glumes 

 empty. Hypogynous bristles 6, as long as the nut, scabrid, with 

 upward-pointing barbs. Nui: obovoid truncate, compressed, smooth, 



