144' • BOTANY OJ:' CONGO. 



species discovered in Madagascar by M. dii Petit Thouai's, 

 and said to resemble C. Papyrus excei)t in the vaginas of 

 the partial umbels J 



Among the sj)ecies of Cyperaceas in the collection, having 

 the most extensive range, are Cyperiis articnJatus, which is 

 459 common to America, India, and Egypt ; Fidrena 11111- 

 hellala anel Eleocharis cajnfaia,^ both of which have been 

 found in America, India, and New Holland ; and C/jperifs 

 lifjiflaris indigenous to other parts of Africa and to America. 



JI//pcBJi/ljfum arf/cnteiiw, a species established by Vahl 

 from specimens of India and Senegal, and since observed 

 in equinoctial America by Baron Humboldt, is also in the 

 collection. 



The name Hypalyptum, under which 1 have formerly 

 described the genus that includes //. aryenteum^ was adop- 

 ted from Yahl, Avithout inquiry into its origin. It is pro- 

 bably, however, a corruption of Hypalytrurn ."^ by wdiich i\I. 

 Richard, as he himself assures me, chiefly intended another 

 genus, with apparently similar characters, though a very 

 different habit, and one of whose species is described by 

 Vahl in Hypaelyptum ; his character being so constructed 

 as to include both genera. M. Kunth has lately published 

 H. aryenteim under the uame of Hypselytrum ;" but in 

 adopting the generic character given in the ' Prodronuis 

 Florge Novae HollandiEc/ he has, in fact, excluded the plants 

 that M. Richard more particularly meant to refer to that 

 genus. It is therefore necessary, in order to avoid further 

 confusion, to give a new uame to Hypgelyptum as I have 

 proposed to limit it, which may be LijjocarpJia, derived 

 from the whole of its squamse being deciduous. 



In describing Lij^ocaipha (under the nam^ of Hypaelyp- 

 tum) in the work referred to, I have endeavoured to 

 establish the analogy of its structure to that of Kyllinya ; 

 the inner or upper squamse being in both genera opposite 

 to the inferior squama, or anterior and posterior, with re- 

 lation to the axis of the spikelet : while the squamae of 



^ Uncyc. Method. Botan. vol. 7, ;;. 270. 



2 Frodr. Flor. Nov. Iloll. 1,;). 225. Scirpus capitaius Willd. sp. pL 1, ;;. 

 294, exclus. syn. Gronovii. ^ Prodr. Flor. Nov. Iloll. \, p. 219. 



4 Fersoon Si/n. Flant 1, j>- 70. ^ Nov. Gen. et Sp. Flaut 1, p. 21S. 



