490 CYPERACEjE. (SEDGE FAMILY.) 



ORDER 133. CYPERACE^E. (SEDGE FAMILY.) 



Grass-like or rush-like herbs, with fibrous roots and solid stems (culmt;), 

 ;losed sheaths, and spiked chiefly 3-androus Jlowers, one in the axil of each 

 >f the glume-like imbricaltd bracts (scales, glumes), destitute of any perianth, 

 r with hypoyynous bristles or scales in its place; the l-cclled ocary with a 

 ringle erect anatropous ovule, in fruit for min(j an achenium. Style 2-clefl 

 when the fruit is flattened or lenticular, or 3-clef't when it is 3-anguLr. 

 Embryo minute at the base of the somewhat floury albumen. Stem-leavea 

 when present 3-ranked. A large, widely diffused family. See Addei.d. 



Synopsis. 



TRIBE I. CYPEREJE. Flowers perfect, 2-ranked. Spikclels 1 - many-flowered. 



1. CYPERUS. Spikes few -many-flowered, usually elongated or slender. Perianth none. 



2. KYLLINGIA. Spikes 1-flowered, glomerate in a sessile head. Perianth none 



8, DULICHIUM. Spikes 6 - 10-flowered. Perianth of 6 - 10 bristles Achenium beaked 



TRIBE II. HYPOL,YTRE.<E. Flowers perfect ; the scales many -ranked : each flowtt 

 provided with its own (1-4) proper scale-like bractlets. True perianth none. 



4. HEMICARPHA. Bractlet or inner scale 1, very small. Stamen 1. Style 2-cleft. 



TRIBE III. SCIRPE^E. Flowers perfect ; the scales regularly several-ranked, each cov- 

 ering a naked flower, or only the lowest empty. Perianth of bristles or hairs, or none. 

 * Perianth of hypogynous bristles or hairs (rarely obsolete or wanting). 



5. ELEOCHARIS. Achenium with a tubercle jointed on its apex, consisting of the bulbocj 



persistent base of the style. Head solitary, terminating the leafless and bractless culm. 



6. SCIRPUS. Achenium naked at the apex, or pointed with the continuous simple base of 



the style. Perianth of 3 - 6 bristles. Culms leafy at the base Heads one or more. 



7. ERIOPHORUM. Achenium, &c., as in Scirpus. Perianth of long and tufted woolly hairs. 



* * Perianth none. 



8. FIMBRISTYLIS. Style bulbous at the base, deciduous (with or rarely without the jointed 



bulb) from the achenium. 

 * * * Perianth of 3 large scales, and mostly as many alternating bristles. 



9. FUIKENA. Scales of the spike awned below the apex Achenium triangular, pointed 



with the base of the style. 



TRIBE IV. RHYNCHOSPORE^E. Flowers perfect or polygamous. Scales of tha 

 few-flowered spikes irregularly several-ranked, many of the lower ones empty, and often 

 the upper sterile. Perianth of bristles or none. Stems leafy. 



* Achenium beaked with the dilated persistent style or its base. 

 - Perianth none : style 2-cleft : achenium wrinkled transversely. 



10 PSILOCARYA. Spikes many-flowered, terete, ovoid, cymose, naked. 



11. DICHROMKNA. Spikes few-flowered, flattened, crowded into a leafy -mvoluerate head. 



- - Perianth of bristles or awns, rarely wanting 



12 CERATOSCHCENUS. Style simple, all persistent in the awned beak of the flat achenium. 

 J MiYNCIIOSPORA. Style 2-cleft, the base only persistent as a tubercle on the acheniuni. 



* * Achenium without a beak or tubercle ; the style deciduous. 



11. CLADIUM. Achenium globular, corky or pointed at the summit. Perianth none. 



TaiBB V SCL.ERIE.flS. Flowers monoecious : the fertile spikes 1-flowereU ; tu--< 



inate neveral- (lowered Acl'.eniurn nut-like, mostly crustaoeous. 

 15 SCLEHIA. Achenium bony or crustaceoua. Proper perianth none. 



