592 CLXXII. CYPERACE,E. (C. B. Clarke.) [Pycreus. 



cens, Thw. Enum. 342 ; Aitch. Cat. PL Punjab 155. C. polystachyus, 

 Strachey Cat. PI. Kumaon, 74 ; Duthie in E. T. Atkinson Gaz. x. 620. 

 Cyperus, Watt. Cat. 3318. 



N. INDIA ; alt. 0-6000 feet, from KASHMIR to CHOTA NAGPORE and ASSAM. 

 DISTEIB. Temp, and trop. old world. 



Glabrous. Stems tufted, 4-24 in. Leaves 4-12 by i in., weak. Umbel 

 rays up to 2% in., usually very short ; bracts 4-8 in. Spikes subglobose. Spikelets 

 5-50, i by in., 40-fld. Glumes ovate, obtuse. Stamens 2 ; anthers small, muti- 

 cous. Nut f length of glume. The Himal. plant is identical with the European. ; 

 its spikelets are rather broad, ferruginous-green, and the glumes are (in fruit) rather 

 loose, thin. In the Khasia Hills the glumes are often browner, chestnut, or very 

 black, rigid, tightly imbricated. 



Var. /3. nilagiricus, C. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn.'Soc. xxi. 49; spikelets narrower 

 more rigid, glumes (even in fruit) rigidly imbricated not inflated straw-colrd. or 

 brown or (more often) chestnut or black. Cyperus nilagiricus, Hochst. ms. ; Steud. 

 Syn. Cyp. 2; Boeck. in Linncea, xxxv. 457. C. atro-ferrugineus, Steud. I.e. 2. C. 

 Junghuhnii, Miq. Fl. 2nd. Sat. iii. 260. C. ater, Dalz. fy Gils. Bomb. Fl. 283 

 (not of J r ahl.). C. lucidus and lividus, Heyne ms. C. Eragrostis, Bottler, ms. 

 C. semiteres, Heyne ms. 9 Wall. Cat. 3310. The Deccan Peninsula and Ceylon. 

 DISTEIB. Afric., S.E. Asia, Austral. This var. is founded on the narrower spikelets ; 

 colour is accidental. 



Var. 7 stricta, C. B. Clarke, I.e. ; spikelets narrower straw-colour or yellow less 

 compressed frequently short 6-12-fld. sometimes curved or twisted, glumes closely 

 packed but loosely imbricated. Cyperus strictns, Lam. III. i. 146 ; Roxb. Fl. Ind. 

 i. 200 ; Kunth Enum. ii. 12 ; Miq. Fl. Ind. Sat. iii. 258. C. tortuosus, Kcenig ms. ; 

 Roxb. 1. c. 197 ; Nees in Wight Contrib. 75 ; Kunth I. c. 16. C. divaricatus, Herb. 

 Ham-, Wall. Cat. 3312 (partly). N. India, from the Punjab to Assam, Chittagong 

 and Chota Nagpore. DISTRIB. Asia, Afric. 



8. P. polystachyus, Beauv. Fl. Owar. II. 48, t. 86, fig. 2 ; umbel 

 apparently simple or contracted into 1 head, spikelets clustered even in 

 fruit suberect (see var. ) linear many-fid, dusky straw-colour often red- 

 marked, nut oblong nearly symmetric truncate. Cyperus polystachyus, 

 Br. Prod. 214 ; Roxb. Fl. Ind. i. 193 ; Nees in Wight Contrib. 75 ; Kunth 

 Enum. ii. 13; Dalz. & Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 281; Thw. Enum.34Q-, BoecJc. in 

 Linnsea, xxxv. 477 ; Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. 365 ; G. B. Clarke in Journ. Linn. 

 Soc. xx. 280 and xxi. 51. C. odoratus, Linn. Sp. PI col. i. 46. C. tereti- 

 fructus, Steud. in Zoll. Verz. Ind. Archip. ii. 62 and Syn. Cyp. 3. C. 

 strigosus, Wight ms. C. corymbosus, Roxb. ms. (not of Eottb.}. C. filiformis, 

 Herb. Heyne, Wall. Cat. 3320 A. (partly}. C. bicarinatus, Herb. Heyne, 

 Wall. Cat. 3333. Cyperus, Wall. Cat. 3340. 



Near the coast of INDIA from SIND to SINGAPORE ; common. SILHET, Hook.f. & 

 T. T. DISTEIB. all warm especially maritime regions. 



Glabrous. Stems 12-30 in., sometimes 0. Leaves overtopping stem or much 

 shorter, in. broad, weak. Umbel rays 1-7, up to 0-2 in. ; spikes compound of 

 10-50 spikelets; bracts 3-6, spreading, up to 4-16 in. spikelets f by -^ in., 20-50- 

 fld. Glumes boat-shaped, ovate, muticous, papery, not rigid. Stamens^ (usually); 

 anthers small, oblong. Nut compressed, biconvex, black, length of glume. 



Var. j3. laxiflorus, Benth. Fl. Austral, vii. 261 ; spikes more open, spikelets in 

 fruit rectangularly spreading subsolitary, often more tinged with yellow red or 

 brown. Cyperus paniculatus, Rottb. Descr. etlc. 40. C. plenus, Heyne ms. ; Kunth 

 Enum. ii. 12. C. geminatus, Heyne ms. C. Hookerianus, Arnott ms. (not of 

 Thwaites). 



The DECCAN, and MALAY Peninsulas, and CEYLON, frequent. DISTRIB. all hot 

 regions. 



