CYPEUACEiE. 43 



SPECIES I.— SCHCENUS NIGRICANS. Lhm. 



Plate MDLXXIX. 



nr!cJi. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VIII. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 1559. 



Stem cylindrical, wiry, leafless. Head of flowers roundish-ovoid. 

 Lowest bract .a little longer than the spikelets, ascending. Spikelets 

 3 to 10. Glumes veiy narrowly lanceolate, fuscous; keel scabrous. 

 Hypogynous bristles 1 to 6, about half as long as the nut, rough with 

 ascending denticulations. 



In bogs. Rather local, though generally distributed, except in 

 the south-east of England, extending from Cornwall to Orkney and 

 Shetland. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Pereimial. Summer. 



Plant growing in tufts arranged on the short branches of the 

 rhizome, which are so close that the plant forms tussocks frequently 

 of considerable size. Leaves commonly shorter than the stem ; sheaths 

 dilated, nearly black at the base, brownish-red above, shining ; lamina 

 rigid, semicylindrical, dull green. Stems 3 to 20 inches high. Head 

 f to f inch long. Lowest bract with a broad sheathing base and a 

 subulate, rigid, obUquely-ascending point. Glumes ^ inch long, very 

 dark brown, often nearly black, with the margins a little paler. 

 Anthers shortly apiculate. Stigmas 3. Nut ovoid, triquetrous, whitish. 

 Bristles very short, variable in number. 



Black Schcenus. 

 french, Choin noirdire. German, Schwarzllches Kiqi/riod. 



Tribe II.— SCIRPE^. 



Flowers (or at least most of them) perfect. Glumes imbricated 

 all round the axis of the spikelets. 



GENUS III.—O L A D I U M . Pat. Broione. 



Flowers arranged in few-flowered spikelets disposed in numerous um- 

 bellato-corymbose panicles combined into an elongate panicle. Glimies 

 of each spikelet 3 to 6, imbricated all round the axis, not keeled, 1 to 3 

 of the upper ones with flowers in their axils, the lower ones smaller 

 and empty; lowest flowers often male or imperfect, the uppermost 

 perfect. Hypogynous bristles none. Stamens 2, rarely 3. Style 



o2 



