2 2 Cyperacece. \Cyperus. 



\- 1 by tV-tV m > narrowly linear, much compressed, 20-50- 

 fld., dark red-brown ; rachilla rather stout, tetragonous, not 

 winged, spotted with red ; glumes erecto-patent, closely 

 imbricate, ovate, obtuse, rather coriaceous, faintly 3-veined, 

 keel green, sides brown, margins hardly hyaline; stam. 2; 

 nut small, \ as long as the glume, broadly or narrowly obovoid, 

 tip rounded and beaked, laterally compressed, biconvex, dark 

 chestnut, style shorter than the nut, stigmas 2, capillary. 



Moist region, extending up to over 6000 ft. ; very common. Fl. Oct., 

 Nov., &c. 



Throughout the temperate and hot countries of Old World. 



A very variable plant. The common Ceylon form is C. nilagiricus, 

 Hochst. in Steud., distinguished by Clarke (in Fl. B. Ind.) by narrower 

 spikelets. Nuwara Eliya specimens have broader spikelets and smooth 

 nuts. A Kurunegala specimen has short pale green spikelets. In Mt. 

 Lavunia ones, growing in shade, the stems are fiiiform, bearing solitary 

 heads of 5-8 spikelets. — J. D. H. 



11. C. bulbosus, Vahl, Enum. PL ii. 342 (1806). Chilanti 

 arichi, T. [Plate XCVI.]. 



C. jeminicus, Retz. Obs. Bot. iv. 11 ; Clarke in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxi. 

 175 (non Rottb.). C. geminatus, Moon, Cat. 6 (non Schrad.), Wight, 

 Contrib: 80. C. hexastachyus, var. j3, pendulus, Wight, Contrib. 82 (non 

 Rottb.). C. rotundus, Kunth ; Thw. Enum. 343 (part). Trimen in Journ. 

 Bot. xxii. 358 ; Syst. Cat. Ceyl. PI. 109. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 611. Clarke in Journ. Bot. xxviii. 19 (bulbils). 



Stem 4-10 in., slender, trigonous, base stoloniferous, 

 clothed with black coriaceous scales, stolons \-2\ in. long, 

 filiform, bearing conico-ovoid bulbils coated with a thick 

 black coriaceous at length bipartite integument ; 1. many, 

 fascicled towards the middle of the stem, and longer than it, 

 spreading and recurved, up to ^o m - broad, 1 -veined, tip fili- 

 form, elongate, sheath very long, membranous, white ; head 

 of umbels about 1 in. diam., formed of slender alternate 

 peduncled spikes, each bearing 3-20 spikelets, the lower 

 distant from the upper ; bracts 3, alternate, longer than the 

 infl., very unequal, filiform, strict, longest 3-4 in.; spikelets 

 |— § by 2V in-, shortly pedicelled, linear, acute, 8-26-fld., 

 chestnut- brown ; rhachilla with persistent elliptic wings ; 

 glumes ytj in., oblong, obtuse, cymbiform, membranous, 

 dorsally rounded, 7-1 1 -veined; stam. 3, anth. very long (2V in.), 

 linear, muticous; nut (not seen in Ceylon specimen), not half 

 as long as the glume, obovoid, obtuse, triquetrous, black, style 

 shorter than the nut, stigmas 3, rather long, capillary. 



Sandy sea-coast in the dry region. Jaffna, Mannar, Chilaw, &c. Fl. 

 Nov., Dec. 



Dry and desert districts of Tropics of Old World. 

 Very unlike in habit to the other Sinhalese species. 



