Scirpiis.} TRIANDRIA — MONOGYNIA. 25 



sti/le is jointed upon the gennen and darker than it. " Bristles small, 

 reddish-brown, S])iny, the spines pointing upwards." (Mr IVilson.) 



8. Rhynchospoka. Va/il. Beak-rusli. 



1. R. dllja, Vahl, {ichite Beak-riish) ; spikelets in a compact 

 corymb as long as the outer bracteas, leaves narro\v-linear. E, 

 Sot. t. 985 {Schcenus alb. Z.) 



Wet pastures and turfy bogs. Fl. June — Aug. If. — Spikelets oi flowers 

 white or whitish, coilected so as to form a level surface at the top. In 

 the flowers are 8 — 11 bristles, with reflexed teeth, much longer than the 

 germen, and decidedly placed outside the 2 stamens. Fruit, in this and 

 R. fit sea, obovate, compressed, distinctly margined, tapering at the base 

 into a short stalk. Sii/le persistent, thin, pellucid, often greenish, dilated 

 at the base, which is not articulated, nor so broad as the seed, but im- 

 mediately distinguishable from the shining nut by its colour and texture. 

 \i R. aurea, the first species described by Vahl, is to be considered the 

 tj'pe of the genus, then must our two British species be separated from 

 it, if the fruit and the style are to afford characters: for in R. aurea the 

 nut is obovate, indeed, but not at all compressed nor margined ; the 

 style is very large, thick, corky, swollen at the base, and remarkably 

 constricted where it is set ujwu the germen ; it is moreover grooved on 

 two sides. I find but one flower in the spikelets of R. aurea, two in 

 those of R. alba. 



2. ^.fusca, Sm. (brown Beak-rush); spikelets in an oval head 

 much shorter than the outer bracteas, leaves almost filiform. 

 E. Bot. t. 1575 (Sc/iosiius fuse. L.) 



Bogs, principally in the south-west of England and Ireland. Fl. 

 July, Aug. 14-. — Habit of the last, though very different in specific 

 character. Heads of powers oval, rich brown ; spihelcts larger and the 

 stigmas more protruded. Stamens 3. Smitii and Sturm have figured 

 and described only 3 bristles to each flower : 1 find 6 (which have erect 

 teeth, Wilson) in the British, as well as in Americaa specimens, which 

 latter are in no respect different from ours. 



9. SciRPUs. Linn. Cluh-rush. 



1. S. lacustris, L. (Lahe Club-rush or Bull-rush) ; spikelets in 

 compoundlateral umbels mostly shorter than the rounded almost 

 leafless stem. E. Bot. t. 666. — ^. glaucus ; smaller and glaucous. 

 — S. glaucus, E. Bot. t. 2312. 



Plentiful on the margins of lakes and ponds. — /3. In similar situations. 

 Fl. July, August. 2^. — Root much creeping. //j/Voresce«ce truly lateral 

 near the extremity of the stalks, \\liicii are very variable in size, 2 — 6 

 or 8 feet high, and as thick as a finger at the base. Spikelets often al- 

 most sessile. Glumes brown, fringed. Stigmas 2 — 3. Fruit obovato- 

 triquetrous, accompanied by 5 or 6 bristles. The stems are much used 

 for mats, chair-bottoms, &:c., and they constitute a considerable article 

 of trade. Coo|)ers employ them for filling up spaces between the seams 

 of casks, and their spongy nature well adapts tiiem to this purpose. Mr 

 Wilson observes that var. /3. has the seed more elliptical and compressed, 

 and of a pale-brown colour ; not shining or polished as in the true S. 

 lacustris. 



2. S. Holoschdnus, L. (round-cluster-headed Club-rush) ; stem 

 rounded, spikelets lateral collected into compact globular sessile 



