1 8 CyperacecB. \Cyperus, 



2. C. Iria,* L. Sp. PL 67 (1753)- Wel-hiri, 5. 



C. Santonici, Rottb. Moon, Cat. 6. Thw. Enum. 344. C. P. 811. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 606. Rottb. 1. c. t. 9. f. 1 (C. Santoitici). Rheede, 

 Hort. Mai. xii. t. 56. 



A glabrous tufted annual; stem 4-20 in., triquetrous; 1. as 

 long as the stem or shorter, §- \ in. broad, finely acuminate 

 flaccid, 1 -veined ; umbel decompound, of many primary rays 

 1-5 in. long, bearing irregularly fascicled secondary umbels 

 formed of narrow interrupted spikes of 5-20 small few-fid. 

 spikelets ; spikelets t$~\ by T V in., linear-oblong, obtuse, 

 greenish-brown, rhachilla very slender, not winged ; glumes 

 loosely imbricate, orbicular-obovate, hyaline, 3-5-veined, 

 keeled toward the rounded or retuse apiculate tip, dorsally 

 mottled with brown, 2 lowest much smaller, ovate, acuminate, 

 empty; stam. 2 or 3, fil. often connate below, anth. very 

 minute, oblong, tip conical ; nut obovoid, trigonous, about as 

 long as the glume, black, style very short or o, stigmas 3, much 

 shorter than the nut, linear. 



In paddy fields and other wet places, very common. Fl. all the year. 

 Tropics of old world. 



3. C. pygmaeus, Rottb. Descr. et Ic. 20 (1773). 

 Moon, Cat. 6. Trim. Syst. Cat. 99. C. P. 3947. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 596 {Juncellus). Rottb. 1. c. t. 14, ff. 4, 5. 



Annual, dwarf, densely tufted ; stems 1-10 in., erect or 

 spreading ; 1. as long as the stem, or shorter, narrow, acumi- 

 nate, flaccid ; spikelets innumerable, sessile, densely packed 

 in an entire or lobed terminal head ^-| in. diam., ovate, T V in, 

 long, 8-20-fld., greenish, often curved or twisted, at length 

 brown, rhachilla very slender, not winged ; bracts 2-4, 1-6 in. 

 long, flaccid, base broadly dilated ; glumes closely imbricate, 

 ovate- or oblong-lanceolate, narrowed into a long straight or 

 recurved green cusp, 5-7-veined, keel not prominent; stam. 1, 

 rarely 2, anth. linear-oblong, muticous; nut f- as long as the 

 glume, stipitate, narrowly linear-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 

 plano-convex, trigonous or terete, acute, style shorter than the 

 nut, stigmas 2, rarely 3. 



Low country, rather rare. Colombo (Ferguson) ; Puttalam ; Anurad- 

 hapura. Fl. all the year. 



All warm countries. 



Very difficult to distinguish from the Oriental Scirftus Michelianus, 

 L., and by many botanists the two are united. According to Clarke 

 (Fl. B. Ind. 1. a), it may be distinguished by the scars of the rhachilla 

 being distichous, and not spirally arranged. 



* Ira is Rheede's name in Hort. Mai. xii. 105. 



