36 DIANDRIA— MONOGYNIA. Cladium. 



1. C Mariscus. Prickly Twig-rush. 



Panicle repeatedly compound, leafy. Spikes capitate. Stem 

 round, smooth, leafy. Leaves prickly at the margin and 

 keel. 



C. Mariscus. Br. Pr. 236. Hook. Scot. 1 1 . 



C. germanicum. Schrad. Genii, v. 1. 75. t. 5.f. 7.** 



SchcEnus Mariscus. Linn. Sp.Pl. 62. Willd. v. 1.259. Vahl Enum. 



u. 1.221. Fl. Br. 43. Engl. Bot. v. 14. t. 950. Host Gram. v. 3. 



37. t.53. 

 Mariscus n. 1343. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 1/9. 

 Cyperus longus inodorus sylvestris. Rail Syn. 426, Ger. Evi. 29. f. 



Lob. Ic. V. 1. 76./. 

 Pseudo-cyperus palustris^ foliis et carina serratis, Scheuchz. Agr, 



375. ^ 8./. 7—11. 



In fens and boggy places ; sometimes near the sea ; but not com- 

 mon. Very rare in Scotland. 



Perennial. July, Aug. 



Root long and creeping. Stem 3 or 4 feet high, erect, polished, 

 jointed ; angular at the top. Leaves keeled, taper-pointed j 

 serratures very neat and sharp. Panicle erect, with many com- 

 pound, corymbose, bracteated, angular, furrowed branches. 

 Spikes mostly two-flowered, rusty brown. Drupa pointed, of a 

 shining brown ; mealy within. Nut hard and thick, brown, 

 unpolished, with 3 slight angles. Kernel solitary, roughish. 



The genus Mariscus of Haller is only the LinuEean Schcenus under 

 another name. Mariscus of Vahl is a different genus, established 

 by him, and retained by Mr. Brown, who first determined Schce- 

 nus Cladium of Solander, Swartz and Vahl to be the same species 

 as our Cladium Mariscus. Schrader is of a different opinion, 

 and amongst other differences, which may be accounted for, 

 asserts that the fruit is surrounded by bristles. Swartz says 

 there are bristles at the sides of tlie inner glume, which sur- 

 rounds the germen ; and Dr. Browne before him had recorded 

 the existence of 2 such, arising from the back of the corolla, 

 towards its base. All the difficulty is removed by an examina- 

 tion in the Linnagan herbarium, of Dr. Browne's own Jamaica 

 specimen, which, being in an early state of flowering, and each 

 spike more or less perfectly 2 -flowered, the second or later^ower 

 is not opened ; and its stigma, not yet put forth, constitutes 

 these supposed bristles. I find the same thing in the English 

 Cladium Mariscus, and no doubt remains of their being one 

 « species. Whether the second ^ower, or any rudiment of it, be 

 always present or not, there is only one drupa perfected in each 

 spike of the English plant, with something like an abortive flower 

 now and then attached to it at one side. My Jamaica specimen 

 has no fruit formed ; but by Dr. Browne's description it ap- 

 pears that one flower only proves perfect, or fertile. 



