1915-] H. N. Ridley: Botany of Gunong Tahan. 195 



In slightly damp spots on the Padang bej-ond the 8th 

 Camp, local, but abundant. It also grows on Kedah Peak. 

 This was named by me 5c/. Neesii in the "Materials." 

 Mr. Clarke, to whom I had referred it, states that it appeared 

 to be a variety of that Ceylon species, but might be made a 

 new species. I obtained a better set of this curious plant on 

 Gunong Tahan, and find it differs markedly from the Ceylon 

 species, not only in habit, smaller panicle, and other such 

 points, but in the fruit, which in the Ceylon plant is described 

 as "very small, ^^ to ^^ inch, globose, echinate, disc obscure." 

 In our plant the nut is twice as large, pustular, with brown 

 hairs on the pustules, and seated on a large conspicuous disc. 

 The Kedah Peak plant is much less hairy than that from 

 Gunong Tahan, and more weak — probably these differences 

 are due to the surroundings. The Kedah Peak one was 

 growing in a grassy spot surrounded by forest, that of Tahan 

 on slightly damp exposed rocks and screes. 



277. ScLERiA RADULA, i/a^^c^; a«/^a, p. 60. A tall plant, 

 often over 6 feet high; stem with a distinct but low wing, 

 stout, over ^ inch through. Leaf sheath-mouth with a 

 hemispheric rounded lobe opposite the leaf-blade; blade linear- 

 acuminate, 18 inches long, half an inch wide, margins and 

 midrib scabrid. Panicles spreading, two inches long and as 

 wide, lax, on peduncles two inches long; slender terminal 

 panicle larger and more lax. Bracts elongate, almost setaceous 

 from a broader hairy base, about ^ inch long. Spikelets deep 

 purple, one female at the base of the branch and 2 or 3 males 

 above, rather distant. Rachis triangular. Female spikelet 

 with ovate-acute glumes, | inch long. Males cj-lindric, terete, 

 ^ inch long. Glumes lanceolate, all deep red. Nut globosely 

 ovoid, white, quite smooth, ^ inch long, base broad. Disc 

 conspicuous, white, three-lobed ; lobes subacute, margins 

 between decurved. 



Wooded stream-banks on the Padang. 



Near and much resembling S. elata, Nees, in habit, but 

 the nut is quite smooth and the disc large. The whole plant 

 has the purple colouring that all this set of mountain-form 

 Sclerias possess. 



Distribution. Hongkong and Perak (Gunong Kerbau, 

 4,200 feet.) 



278. Carhx rivulorum, n. sp. 



A tufted plant, emitting stolons. Leaves linear-acuminate, 

 2 feet long, ^ inch wide; base purplish brown, minutely 

 scabrid on the back; midrib prominent. Culm 3 feet long, 

 very slender, weak, terete. Foliaceous bracts sheathing, very 

 narrow, longer than the lower spikes. Spikes 6, pedunculate, 

 very ^slender, cylindric, an inch long, ^^ inch through, lower 

 ones all female, or with male flowers at the tip; upper one 

 male only. Glumes ovate, lanceolate, keeled, with a long 

 mucro, as long as the utricle, pale brown, minutely pubescent, 

 edges and mucro scabrid. Utricle J inch long, fusiform, 



October, 1915. 10 



