Fuirena.'} CLXXII. CYPERACEJJ. (C. B. Clarke.) 667 



Thw. Enum. 347 ; BoecJc. in Linnsea, xxxvii. 110. F. paniculata, Lam. Ml. 

 i. 150, t. 39. F. pentagona, Nees in Wight Contrib. 93 ; F. quinquan- 

 gularis, HassJc. in Flora, xxv. (1842) Beibl. 3. F. uncinata, Thw. I. c. 347 

 (not ofKunth). Fuirena, Wall. Cat. 3542, 3543. 



Throughout INDIA, except the drier North-west, alt. 0-3000 ft. DISTBIB. All 

 warm (not too dry) countries. 



Stolons hardening into rhizomes, clothed by ovate-lanceolate striate scales. 

 Sepals much shorter than nut, linear, glabrous or retrorse-scabrous, often 0. Petals 

 nearly as long as nut, 3-nerved, minutely hairy, truncate at top and often notched 

 sometimes with a minute mucro in the notch. tJenerally known from F. glome- 

 rata by the more compound corymb an unsafe character ; when the rhizome is 

 wanting, dried examples can be certainly distinguished only by the shape of petals. 



13. LIPOCARPHA, Br. 



Glabrous. Stem leafy only near base, bearing a single head of few 

 (usually 1-6) spikelets. Spikelets with very many hermaphrodite flowers, 

 tabescent at top. Glumes imbricated on all sides, deciduous leaving the 

 persistent rhachilla marked by lozenge-shaped scars. Squamellse 2, an 

 anticous and posticous, hyaline, elliptic, as long as nut (formed out of 

 coalescent hypogynous bristles). Stamens 3-1, anticous; anthers small, 

 linear-oblong, muticous. Style small, slender, glabrous, shortly 2-fid 

 (sometimes 3-fid) scarcely exsert. Nut small, oblong or ovoid, plano- 

 convex, smooth, reticulated, finally brown-black. Species 13, warm 

 regions. 



This genus in habit, inflorescence, rhachilla of spikelet, style and nut, is ex- 

 cessively like (and really closely allied to) Scirpus Sect. Micranthce ; from which it 

 only differs in the squamellae standing fore and aft, not laterally. These squamellae 

 are hyaline, cling to the nut, and are difficult to see. 



1. Ii. argent ea, Br. in Append. Tuckey Congo, 459; spikelets 1-8 

 pale or fuscous, nut much shorter than squamellae, style linear 3-fid as 

 long as |-f nut. Thw. Enum. 347 ; Strachey Cat. PL Kumaou, 73 ; Boeck. 

 in Linnsea, xxxvii. 114 (excl. American examples). L. Isevigata, Nees in 

 Wight Contrib. 92. Hypaelyptum argenteum, Vahl Enum. ii. 283. Tunga 

 laevigata, Roxb. Fl. Ind. i. 183. Kyllinga albescens, Steud. Syn. Gyp. 68 ; 

 Miq. Fl. Ind Bat. iii. 294. Lipocarpha, Wall. Cat. 3445 F, G, Hi 



From the WESTERN HIMALAYA, alt. 0-6000 ft.; and ASSAM to CEYLON and 

 SINGAPOBE. DISTRIB. Trop. and sub-trop. Old World. 



Mhizome hardly any. Stems 4-24 in., obtusely trigonous, smooth. Leaves as 

 long as stem or much shorter, -fa in. broad. Spikelets up to by i in. ; bracts often 

 2 in. Glumes obovate, apex obtusely triangular incurved. Nut sessile, obovoid or 

 ellipsoid obtuse. 



2. Xi. sphacelata, Kunih Enum. ii. 267 ; spikelets 1-8 black-purple 

 or if pale usually purple spotted, nut nearly as long as squamellae, style 

 very short 3-fid. Thw. Enum. 347 ; Eoeck. in Linnsea, xxxvii. 116. L. 

 triceps, Nees in Wight Contrib. 92. Hypaelyptum sphacelatum, Vahl 

 Enum. ii. 283. H. ceylanicum, Nees in Linnsea^ ix. 288. Tunga triceps, 

 Eoxb. Fl. Ind. i. 183. Scirpus hemisphaaricus, Roth. Nov. PI. Sp.. 29. 

 Hypelytrum triceps, Dietr. Sp. PI. ii. 363. Lipocarpha, Wall. Cat. 3444. 



Throughout INDIA (except the dry N.-West), alt. 0-2000 ft., from NEPAL and 

 ASSAM to CEYLON and TAVOY. DISTEIB. Trop. Africa and America. 



