690 CLXXII. CYPERACE/E. (C. B. Clarke.) [Sderia. 



Ithizorne in. thick. Stems 3 ft. ; sheaths broadly 3-winged, sometimes obscurely 

 winged; ligule glabrate or not, rarely densely hairy. Panicle often tinged red; 

 lowest peduncle often 6 in. Spikelets like those of S. liebecarpa ; disc margin almost 

 spongy shortly reflexed as three ears. Moat easily distinguished from S. elata by 

 the glabrous rhachis of the-panicles. 



15. S. alta, Jjoeclc. -in Linnsea, xxxviii. 485; robust, glabrous (oven 

 rhachis of panicle), partial panicles narrow somewhat remote, style 3- fid, 

 nut tessellated minutely hairy, lobes of disc-margin 3 united at base 

 appressed to the nut pale green rounded crenate at summit. 



EAST BENGAL ; Foot of Khasia Hills, Griffith, J. D. H. fy T. T ; Mudhopoor 

 Jungle, C. -B. Clarice. 



Very near S. Thorns oniana, except the lobes of disc-margin j secondary bract 

 longer, more conspicuous. 



16. S. elata,, 'Thw. IZnum. 353, a (excl. C.P. 82o); robust, more or 

 less hairy (at "least rhachis of panicle), partial panicles distant rigid 

 pyramidal, style' 3-fid, nut tessellated minutely hairy, lobes of the disc- 

 margin short obfuse or scarcely obtuse-triangular. Boeck. in Linn&a, 

 xxxviii. 487. S. lithosperma, Eoxl). Fl. Ind. iii. 574 (not of Willd.). S. 

 Hasskarliana, IBoBclc. in Engler Jahrb. v. [1884] 511. Diaphora cochin- 

 chinensis, Lour. FL. Cochinch. 709. Scleria, Wall. Cat. 3408, A, C. 



Throughout INDIA (except the N.W. arid region), alt. 0-2000 ft., and CEYLON.- 

 DISTRIB. Java, China. 



Descr. of Thwaites, C.P. 3030. Stem 3 ft. by in. in diam., glabrous, Leares 

 1-2 ft. by in., tip attenuated, margins scabrous, cutting the hand, when dry 

 recurved ; sheath 3-winged, wings broad or narrow, two wings often much broadest ; 

 ligule depressed-ovate, hairy. Panicle 1 ft. by 4 in. ; partial panicles 4 by 3 in., 

 branches rectangularly divaricate, red, hairy. SpiJcelets numerous, all unisexual, 

 male and fern, scattered in all parts of infl. ; panicle dense, but spikelets scarcely 

 clustered. Fern, spikelets -t in. ; fern, glume shortly mucrouate, glabrous, sterile 

 superior glumes tabescent (generally present). Nut s~~^o m> as f "^ hebecarpfi, 

 and similarly becoming glabrate ultimately, white or dusky ; lobes of disc-margin 

 scarcely attaining % height of nut, ferruginous or red. Thwaites says of his S. elata, 

 " sheaths not winged," whereas Boeckeler puts it in his section having " tnalate 

 sheaths." The explanation is that Thwaites described S. elata mainly from C.P. 

 n. 825 (which is S. chinensis, Kunth, var. /3), while Boeckeler describes C.P. 3030, 

 which is the very common S. elata. Thwaites may, however, have rightly treated 

 this (winged leaf-sheaths) as of small importance. 



Var. latior ; stouter, stems often 6-9 ft. very thick, sheaths conspicuously winged, 

 panicles large dense, spikelets clustered dusky, nut larger white. N.E. India, ale. 

 0-3500 ft., common. 



Var, decolorans ; robust, panicle dark-red, nuts larger early discoloured, finally 

 black-purple as are glumes. Sikkim, Khasia, Muneypoor, alt. 3-6000 ft., common. 



17. S. chinensis, Kunth Enum. ii. 357; similar to S. elata, biit 

 ligules with an ovate-oblong scarious brown elongation of their margin 

 - in. long. Boeck. in Linnaa, xxxviii. 486. S. ciliaris, Nees in Wight 

 Contril). 117 (not of Mich.). S. scrobieulata, Moritzi Verz. Zoll. Pfl. 98 

 (not of Nees). 



SINGAPORE, Ridley (n. 1556). DISTRIB. China, Malaya, N. Australia. 



Var. biauricttlata ; wings of leaf sheaths narrow or sometimes obsolete, scarious 

 margin of ligule shorter (^5- in. long), "broad obtuse very fragile binuriculate at bnso. 

 S. data, Thw. Enum. 353, partly. S. exaltata, Boecfa in Engler Jahrb. v., p. 511. 

 Ceylon, Thwaites. Singapore, Ridley (n. 1556). 



