626 CLXXII. CYPERACE-B. (C. B. Clarke.) \_Eleocharis. 



feet). S. tumidus, Roxb. I. c. Limnochloa plantaginea and tumida, Nees 

 in Wight Contrib. 114. Heleocharis plantaginea, BoecJc. in Linnsea, xxxvi. 

 474 in small part. Eleocharis, Wall. Cat. 3454 (except B). 



From SIND, SAHARUNPOEE and ASSAM to CEYLON and the MALAY PENINSULA. 

 DISTEIB. Tropics of Old World. 



Stolons long, i in. diam. Stems 1-3 ft., i-^ in. diam. ; slender (So. plantagi- 

 neus, Eoxb.), or stout (Sc. tumidus, Roxb.) ; sheaths membranous, soon torn. Spike- 

 let i-1^ by i i in. (in some Madagascar examples 3 in. long). Glumes in., 

 suberect, densely packed, obovate, with numerous striations on the back ; 1-3 

 lowest empty persistent, lowest stouter appearing as though a continuation of the 

 stem. Bristles 7, equalling or exceeding the nut, retrorsely scabrous, yellow-brown. 

 Nut rather large, ^-f of glume, biconvex or obscurely trigonous ; style-base de- 

 pressed conic, brown-black. The American plants referred to plantaginea by 

 Boeckeler are very distinct (E. interstincta, Br.) (see Benth. Fl. Austral, vii. 292). 



2. E. equisetina, Presl. Eel. HsenJc. i. 195; stems slender terete 

 transversely septate when dry, spikelet fuscous straw-colrd. wider than 

 the stem, style 2-fid. 



CEYLON; Walker, Thwaites (C.P. 3777). DISTEIB. N. Caledonia, Philippines. 



Stems I foot, -iV~i i n - diam. ; uppermost sheath close-fitting, firm, terminated 

 on one Hjide by an oblong-triangular tooth. Nut obovoid, somewhat narrowed 

 triangularly at top. Perhaps a var. of E. plantaginea ; I cannot distinguish the 

 Ceylon from the Philippine examples. 



** Nut reticulate or trabeculate. Style 3-Jid, rarely 2-fid. 



3. ZS. variegata ? Kunth Enum. ii. 153 ; stems robust nearly 

 terete not transversely septate, glumes suberect laxly imbricate red- 

 brown near their margin, bristles 7 retrorse scabrous about as long as the 

 cancellate nut. Heleocharis variegata, BoecJc. in Linncea, xxxvi. 470. ' 

 Mascarene Isles. 



Var. laxiflora, stems more slender, subtrigonous under narrower spikelet, glumes 

 fuscous green not red brown near margin, bristles longer than finely trabeculate 

 nut. Scirpus laxiflorus, Thw. Enum. 435. Eleocharis, Wall. Cat. 3454, B 

 (partly). 



ASSAM ; Simons. SILHET ; J. 2). Hooker. CEYLON; Thwaites, MALAY PENIN- 

 SULA, frequent to SINGAPORE, Kurz. DISTRIB. Malaya, China, Polynesia. 



Stems 8-16 in. ; uppermost sheath membranous, on one side ovate, subacute at top. 

 Spikelet nearly 1 by J in. G-lumes in., lowest as though a continuation of the 

 stem, persistent. Style 3-fid, or sometimes 2-fid. Nut slightly narrowed at apex, 

 style-base conic ; outer cells transversely oblong, small, superposed in 30-40 vertical 

 series, the nut appearing longitudinally 30-40- striate. 



4. E. ochrostachys, Steud. Syn. Gyp. 80 (not of BoecJc.) stems 

 slender nearly terete not transversely septate many barren intermixed, 

 spikelet slender scarcely broader than the stem, glumes suberect laxly 

 imbricate dusky green, style 3-fid. Heleocharis subulata, BoecJc. in Flora, 

 xli. 412. 



MALACCA ; Griffith. SINGAPORE ; Ridley. DISTEIB. Java, Borneo. 

 Stems 8 by aV-Ta in. Spikelet less than in. This does not differ much from 

 very slender examples of S. variegata, var. laxiflora, except by the numerous barren 



Am*/ C *6^'lc^ I 



5. E. fistulosa, Sehnlte* in Eoem. & Sch. Syst. ii. Mant. 89; stems 

 robust not transversely septate triquetrous under the spikelet, spikelet 



