Carex.] CLXXII. CYPERAOE.E. (C. B. Clarke.) 733 



preceding group; perhaps near C. alopectiroides. Boott has included Royle, n. 112 

 (the sole foundation of C. obsoura, Nees) in his C. psychrophila. Subsequently 

 Boott (Carex, iii. 108 in Obs.) reduces C. parvibracteata, Mees (which is C. 

 psycrophila) to C. obscura, Nees. 



Sect. 7. PROPRIJ;. Terminal spile wholly male. (In C. ustulata and 0. 

 alopecuroides frequently, in some others very rarely, there occur terminal spikes 

 male at base fern, at top.) 



* Utricle glabrous (or scabrous on margins) ; beak or very short. 



99. C. melanantha, C, A. Meyer ex Ledeb. Fl. AH. iv. 216 and 



Ic. PI. iv. 8, t. 317; spikes 3-6 approximate sabsessile (lowest peduncle 

 rarely in.) dense, glumes black-red triangular-tipped, style 3-fid, utricles 

 obovoid-ellipsoid nerveless granular usually dark-red upwards, beak hardly 

 any. Kunth Enum. ii. 432; Boott Carex, iv. 211; Turcz. Fl. Baikal. 

 Dahur. ii. (pars. 1) 269 a only; Boeck. in Linnsea, xl. 399. 0. nigra, var. 

 ft Trevir. in Ledeb. Fl. Ross. iv. 288. C. nigra, var. orientalis, Regel Descr. 

 PI. fasc. viii. 28. C. atrata Boott ms. (partly). C. Moorcroftii, var. 

 Boott ms. C. nivalis, Boeck. ms. (partly). 



KASHMIR; alt. 9-12,000 ft., Thomson, &c., C. B. Clarke. DISTBIB. Central 

 Asia, Cabul. 



Stoloniferous. Stems 6-24 in. Leaves numerous, often nearly as long as the 

 stem, i in. broad ; lower sheaths very pale brown. Infl. usually 1-2 in., longer than 

 lowest bract. Spikes % by in. Glumes nearly uniform black red or with a 

 narrow pale keel. Utricle shorter than glume, slightly scabrous on shoulders, 

 trigonous, slightly winged j exsert part of stigmas rather shorter than utricle. The 

 original description of this species states the terminal spike to be male at base fern, 

 at top, as in the type specimens, but in hardly any others ; the Indian examples have 

 the terminal spike male, and Turczauinow and Regel say this is so very generally 

 in the Central Asian plant. Boeckeler and Boissier say that 0. nigra maiuly differs 

 by not being Stoloniferous ; but C. nigra is plentifully stoloniferous. Treviranus 

 therefore unites C. melanantha with C. nigra ; it has the same general aspect, but 

 C. nigra has a totally different much-compressed utricle. C. parviftora, C. A. 

 Meyer (Enum. PI. Cauc. p. 30) which includes C. sabulosa, Turcz. and C. melano- 

 cephala, Turcz., is also exceedingly like 0. melanantha in general aspect; it is 

 common in Central Asia, aud very likely to occur in British India, and to have been 

 overlooked. It differs from 0. melanantha in having the utricle more acuminated 

 into a short (but much more definite) linear beak. 



100. C. TCoorcroftii, Falconer ms. ex Boott in Proc. Linn. Soc. xx. 

 (1851), 140, and Carex. i. 9, t. 27; spikes larger brighter than in C. 

 melanantha, glumes black-red or paler, terminal spike often pale, utricle 

 larger pale upwards, otherwise as C. melanantha Strachey Cat. PI. 

 Knm'ion, 73 ; Botck. in Linnasa, xli. 179. C. melanantha, /3 baicalensis, 

 Turcz. Fl. Baikal Dahur. i. 270. C. melanantba, var. Boott ms. 



HIMALAYA and TIBET, alt. 12-16,000 ft., from the KARAKORTTM to TIBET (N. of 

 Sikkim), alt. 16-17,000 ft., J. D. H. and Phari, King. DISTSIB. Central Asia. 



Appears like a fine bright-colrd. form of C. melanantha as the Russian botanists 

 (and apparently Boott at last) esteemed it The fruiting spikes look very different 

 as vale-yellow utricles alternate with dark-chestnut glumes; whereas in "(7. melan- 

 antha, the dull black -red tops of utricles are concolorous with glumes. C. Moor- 

 croftii is sometimes nearly 2 ft. high, with spikes in. in diam. 



101. C. supina, Walil. in Handl. Vet. Acad. Stockh. 158; small, 

 rhizome slender creeping, spikes approximate sessile small, one terminal 



