20 Cyperacece. \Cyperus. 



Annual, dwarf, leafy, stems tufted, 1-4 in.; capillary; 1. as 

 long as the stem or longer, narrowly linear, acuminate, i in. 

 broad, fiat, flaccid, I -veined ; sheath short; head of sessile or 

 very shortly spicate clusters of sessile rather broad few-fid. 

 spikelets, or of a few short rays with 3-6 distichous spikelets ; 

 bracts 3-4, up to 3 in. long, leaf-like ; spikelets ovate-oblong, 

 \-\ by T V i n 'i 6-10 fid. yellow-green strongly compressed, 

 rhachilla stout, wings lanceolate ; glumes loosely imbricate, 

 spreading, ovate, long and stoutly cuspidate below the obtuse 

 tip, sides broadly hyaline with two strong veins, keel 3-veined ; 

 stam. 3, anth. linear, muticous; nut large, § as long as the 

 glume, broadly obovate-oblong, truncate or retuse, laterally 

 flattened, style shorter than the nut, stigmas 2, long, capillary. 



Low country in the dry region; rather rare. Kurunegala District 

 (Thwaites) ; Anuradhapura, abundant ; Tissamaharama. Fl. Dec. 

 Also in S. India and Timor. 



7. C sanguinolentus, Vahl, Enum. ii. 351 (1806). Thw. Enum. 

 342. C. Eragrostis, Vahl; Trim. Syst. Cat. 99. C. P. 802. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 590 (Pycreits). Rottb. 1. c. t. ix. f. 4 (C. fiumilus). 



Rootstock creeping, as thick as a crow-quill ; stem 4-20 in., 

 rather stout, soft, trigonous above, sometimes leafless ; 1. few, 

 many or o, as long as the stem or shorter, ^ \ in. broad, 

 acuminate, i-veined ; umbel small, simple, rays 2-5, stout, 

 terminated by very short spikes of 3-6 spreading spikelets, 

 sometimes the infl. is contracted into a single head ; bracts 

 3-5, up to 5 in. long, foliaceous; spikelets \-\ by \ in., shortly 

 spicate, fiat, linear or oblong, 6-24 fid., red-brown, rhachilla 

 rather stout, not winged ; glumes loosely imbricate, orbicular, 

 tip rounded, dorsally convex, not keeled, 3-veined, margins 

 broadly hyaline, mottled with brown ; anth. linear, muticous ; 

 nut broadly obovoid about half as long as the glume, laterally 

 compressed, turgidly biconvex, ashy brown, style as long as 

 the nut, stigmas 2, capillary. 



Moist low country ; rather common ; frequent at Peradeniya. Fl. 

 Oct. 



India and all other hot countries of the Old World, 



8. C. polystachyus, Rottb. Descr. et Ic. 39 (1773). 

 Thw. Enum. 342. C. P. 800. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 592 {Pycretts). Rottb. 1. c. t. 11, f. 1. 



Perennial, tufted; stems slender, 12-30 in.; trigonous, 

 thickened at the base; 1. shorter than the stem, ^ in. broad, 

 flaccid, sheath short ; umbel simple, of 2-7 slender rays |-2 in. 

 long, each terminated by short ternate spikes of 4-8 narrow 

 spikelets; bracts 3-6, spreading, up to 6 in. long, foliaceous; 

 spikelets close together, l-f in. by T V in. broad, linear, 



