80 FLORA OF TASMANIA. | [ Cyperacee. 
Â very large and natural tropical genus, of which about fifty Australian species are known, but few enter the 
cool temperate regions of either hemisphere. The Tasmanian species of the genus are = marshy, sedgy plants, 
with creeping rhizomes, trigonous, unjointed, erect, stout culms, leafy at the base, and bearing at the et? an unequal, 
many-rayed umbel, surrounded by a long, leafy involucre ; each ray of the umbel bears EN lts apex nume- 
rous divaricating, linear, red-brown, shining spikelets, of numerous distichous scales, all of which but the west 
are floriferous.— Flowers of three stamens in each scale, and one pistil, without hypogynous scales. Style deci- 
duous, but not jointed on to the achenium. (Name of doubtful derivation.) 
1. Cyperus sanguineo-fuscus (Nees, in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. vi. 46) ; elatus, robustus, um- 
bellis sub-S-radiatis simplicibus v. radiis longioribus apice compositis, spicis breviter cylindraceis, spiculis 
(3-1 -pollicaribus) linearibus patento-reflexis 6—10-floris, squamis laxis lineari-oblongis obtusis carinalis 
sulcatis, nuce lineari-obovata acute trigona, involucris 6-8-phyllis 1-2-pedalibus serratis, culmo striato 
levi. (Gunn, 557, 956.) (Tas. CXXXIX.) . 
Has. Common on river-banks and in marshy places throughout the Island.— (Fl. Nov., Dec.) (v. v.) 
Much the largest Tasmanian species, and a very handsome plant, growing 3-5 feet high. It varies a good 
deal in size and in the length of the spikelets, and immature flowers at first sight look very different from mature 
ones.—Culms trigonous; angles blunt, smooth.  Zmvolucre of six to eight long, flat leaves, 1-12 foot long, and 2 
inch broad at the base, their margins and keel scabrid from beyond the middle or from the base. Rays of umbels 
six to eight, most of them 4-6 inches long, some very short, bearing at their apices one to three oblong spikes 
about 1 inch long; when more than one, the lateral spikes spread horizontally from the base of the central one. 
Spikelets crowded, 3-1 inch long, linear, patent or divaricating, subulate in a young state; rachilla with two broad 
membranous wings opposite each scale, which enclose the nut. Scales alternate, distichous, loosely imbricating 
when in flower, almost distant when in fruit, linear-oblong, blunt or notched at the apex; lower short and empty ; 
fruiting ones keeled, grooved, nearly + inch long, shining, bright chesnut-brown, with a green keel. Stamens 3. 
Nut sharply trigonous, linear-obovate, acute, white, smooth.—PraArE CXXXIX. Fig. 1, spikelet; 2, scale and 
flower; 3, pistil :—all magnified. 
2. Cyperus Gunnii (Hook. fil.) ; umbellis sub-S-radiatis, spicis compositis subcapitatis, spiculis 
(+—+-pollicaribus) dense congestis linearibus 6—1 0-floris, squamis arcte imbricatis late ovato-oblongis apice 
rotundatis mucronulatis margine pallidis, nuce lanceolata obtusa trigona, involucris 3-4-phyllis angustis 
1-13-pedalibus serratis, culmo levi. (Gunn, 1403.) (Tas. CXL. A.) 
Has. Also probably common: Penquite, near Launceston, Gunn.—(Fl. Dec.) 
DisrarB. New South Wales and South-east Australia. 
A much smaller and more slender plant than C. sanguineo-fuscus, 2-3 feet high, with very narrow involucres 
of only about three leaves, each about 3 inch broad at the base; shorter rays of the umbel, which bear almost 
globose, lobed, dense heads of several crowded spikes; and the spikelets also are shorter, flatter, of short, broad, 
densely imbricate scales.—PrATE CXL. 4. Fig. 1, spikelet; 2, scale and flower; 3, pistil :—aZ magnified. 
Gen. II. SCH(ENUS, Z. 
Spicule solitariee fasciculatz v. panieulate (non capitate), pauciflore ; squamis distichis, rarius undique 
imbricatis, extimis minoribus, vacuis, floriferis majoribus. Sete hypogyne 0. Stylus 2-3-fidus.— Herbae 
pleraeque rigide, graminee ; culmis inarticulatis, teretibus trigonisve, 
Joliatis ; spiculis solitariis paniculatisve, 
, though the presence of hypogynous bristles in the former is a 
instances most closely allied plants, and some few that otherwise are 
almost indistinguishable; their absence or Presence is not accompanied by any characters of habit, inflorescence, 
or habitat. A revision of the genera would doubtless lead to the abandonment of this character, and perhaps to 
