Oarex.] clvi. cyperace^ (clarke). 517 



red roots. Stems l|-o ft. long, rather stout, triquetrous, rough on 

 the angtes. Leaves nearly as long as the stem, ^-^ in. broad. In- 

 riorescence up to (>^ by | iti., very dense (sometimes interrupted at the 

 base), from straw-colonr to rusty brown ; lowest bract not sheathing, 

 usually as long as the panicle, but in one example nearly a foot long. 

 Spikes exceeding J in. in length, female at the base, some male at the 

 top. Female glumes ^-| in. long, elliptic, acuminate, hardly mu(;rortate. 

 Utricle j^-^ in. long, eloniratedanceolate, attenuated at either end, 

 plano-convex, thin, appearing winged, smooth, with 3-5 thin nerves on 

 the plane fa.ce, 9 thin nerves on the convex face, finally straw-coloured ; 

 beak elongate-conic, split neaily to the base on the convex face, margins 

 sparingly scabrid ; style- branches 2, linear, long. — Boott, Carex, ii. 75 

 (excl. var. /3), tt. 204, 205; Boeck. in Linna^a, xxxix. 101; Engl. 

 Hochgebirgsll. Trop. Afr. 151 excl. C. tSteudneri ; C. B. Clarke in 

 Durand &, Schinz, Conspect. Fi. Afr. v. i\SQ. 



Srile J<and. Abyssinia : Sameii ; near Demerki on Mount Bacliit, 10,500 ft., 

 Schimper, 66 ! 1244! and without precise locality, Schiynper, 3036 ! 1037 ! 



In this critical series, Schimper's 1244 (figured by lioott, 1. c. t. 205) is the 

 type of the species ; but the description above given is lakeu jrom Schimper's 3.036, 

 1037, which are figured in Boott, 1. c. t. 204 ; because in these latter the utricles and 

 nuts are lully ripened. 



6. C. erytbrorrhiza, Boeck. in Linncea^ xxxix. 103, I-eaves i in. 

 broad. Inflorescence 2 by J-1 in., excessively dense, chestnut-brown. 

 Utricle -J in, long, sessile, ovoid-lanceoJate, irregularly nerved on the 

 plane face, with 7 strong ribs on the convex face ; beak lanceolate ; 

 otherwise as C. Koestlini. — Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 151; C. B, 

 Clarke in Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. G84. C Koestlini, 

 var. /3 minor, Boott, Carex, ii. 7G. tt. 20G, 207. 



irille I-and. Abyssinia : Samen ; near Demerki, on Mount Bachit, 10,50(3 ft., 

 Schimper, 110 \ 170a ! near Debra Eski, 9000 it., Schimper, 170b ! Debra Kana, 

 9300 ft., Schimper ! Begeraeder ; Mount Guna, 11,400 ft., Schimper, 1556 ! 



This species is founded on Schimper, 1556; the description above gi^en is taken 

 from Schimper, 170, which is Boott's t. 206. 



It is very doubtful wbetlier Boeckeler should be followed in giving lioott's vnr. /3 

 specific rank ; Boeckeler had very poor material compared with Boott ; and, in 

 grounding his species on the red roots, he was unaware that the remarkable roots are 

 just tlie same in typical C. Koestlini. Both the species appear to have been 

 collected at nearly or cjuite the same localities. On the oLher hand, the difference 

 between the utricles in Schimper 1036 (^Boott, 1. c. t, 204), and Schimper 170 

 (Boott, 1. c. t. 206) appears too great to combine the two under one species. Boott 

 discusses the question, and considers his series shows a perfect gradation from the 

 one to the other; but it appears that several of these "intermediates" ore not well 

 ripened. 



7. C. Lycurns, K. Schum. in Emjl. Pfi. Ost-Afr. C. 129. Glabrous. 

 Stems 3 ft. long and upwards, stout, triquetrous, rough on the angles. 

 Leaves J the length of the stems, J in. broad or even more. Inflor- 

 escence '6 by |-| in., dense, somewhat interrupted at the base, dusky 

 green; lowest bract 1-2 in, long, setaceous. Spikes \-^ in., female at 



vol.. VITI. s 



