282 JUNCACEJE. [ JUNCUS. 



erect ; testa membranous, often produced at each end, albumen 

 dense ; embryo small, near the hilum. Species about 200, cosmo- 

 politan, but chiefly in damp cold regions. 



JUNCUS. Linn. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 392. 



Perennial, rarely annual, glabrous herbs. Stems simple under 

 the inflorescence. Leaves radical or few near the base of the stem, 

 linear or terete or reduced to sheaths. Flowers small, usually 

 clustered in fascicles or 2-fid. cymules, either sessile or capitate or 

 unequally peduncled and paniculate, the whole inflorescence ter- 

 minal or sub-terminal on the scape-like stems, with 1 3 leafy bracts. 

 Perianth with 6 free lanceolate or oblong glume-like segments, 

 often with scarious edges, the 3 outer keeled or with a thickened 

 midrib. Stamens 6, rarely 3, hypogynous or nearly so, anthers 

 oblong or linear, erect, with longitudinal introrse dehiscence. Ovary 

 free, 3 or 1 -celled, style filiform ; stigmatic arms 3, often spirally 

 twisted. Fruit a capsule, dehiscing by 3 valves with mesial placent- 

 as, rarely by 3 valves leaving the placentas persistent or connate in 

 a central column. Seeds small, ovoid ; testa striate reticulate or 

 transversely lineate ; embryo small, near the base of the fleshy 

 albumen. Species about 160, in temp, or arctic regions, rarely 

 tropical. 



Annual, leaves not septate ; stems much 

 branched ; cymes scattered, few -flowered ; 

 lateral flowers 6-androus, teminal 3-androus 1. J r bufonius. 



Perennial, leaves indistinctly and distantly 

 septate ; cymes terminal ; flowers densely 

 clustered in small heads, flowers all 3- 

 androus . . . . . . . 2. J. prismatocarpus. 



1. J. bufontus, Linn. Sp. PL 328 ; Royle III. 401 ; F. B. I 

 i, 392 ; Collett Fl. Siml. 635 ; Prain Beng. PL 1088. 



A small pale-green tufted annual, up to 12 in. high. Stems erect or 

 ascending, slender, much dichotomously branched from the base. 

 Leaves few, chiefly radical, not septate, channelled above. Cymes 

 many, scattered on the stem ; bracts scarious. Flowers solitary 

 or clustered, -J in. long ; the lateral ones open, 6-androus, terminal 

 closed, 3-androus. Sepals and petals unequal lanceolate, acuminate, 

 the margine broadly membranous. Stamens half as long as the 



