Scleria.] 



Cyperacecz. 



93 



Kcenig seems to have first collected this ; his specimens in Mus. Brit, 

 are labelled ' Sparganium ensiforme.' — Trimen. 



The above generic and specific descriptions are almost wholly derived 

 from Dr. Trimen's notes, who says that the fl. heads are made the nests 

 of small ants, and are full of water and soil, so that the scales and 

 stamens soon become rotten and pulpy. The maggots of flies live in 

 these and eat the anthers. He adds that the name 5. fiandaniforme, 

 Zipp. MSS., cited by Kurz when publishing the plant as S. costatum, 

 should perhaps have the preference. — J. D. H. 



20. SCXiERXA, Berg. 

 Perennial, rarely annual, erect, leafy herbs ; stem tri- 

 gonous or triquetrous ; 1. narrow or broad ; spikelets of two 

 forms, androgynous or male, and female, solitary or clustered 

 in the branches of a panicle, mixed with hyaline scales, 

 rarely spicate or capitate ; bracts often foliaceous, bracteoles 

 usually filiform; glumes 1 -veined; male or androgynous, 

 spikelets narrow, glumes many, 5-6 lower distichous, inter- 

 mediate convolute, membranous, enclosing many narrowly 

 linear hyaline scales, with 1-3 stam. and one barren ov., 

 anth. narrowly linear, cuspidate ; fern, spikelets shorter, 

 broader, 1 -fid., glumes 3 or more, distichous, lower 2-3 empty, 

 the next above fertile, the upper empty; disk at the base of 

 the ov., annular, rarely obscure, often enlarged and 3-6- 

 lobed in fr. fcupular in .S. sumatrand)\ ov. minute, style 

 slender, stigmas 3 ; nut globose or oblong, usually white, 



polished, smooth or sculptured.- 

 B. Ind. 



Disk of fern. fl. o, very small or obscure. 

 Spikelets in a single terminal head 

 Spikelets spicate, or in panicled clusters. 

 Spikelets in a terminal simple spike 

 Spikelets panicled. 



L. \-\ in. broad .... 

 L. less than j in. broad. 



L. villous . . . . . 

 L. glabrous .... 

 Disk of fern. fl. 3-lobed or cupular. 



Disk cupular 



Disk 3-lobed. 



Spikelets in small axillary clusters or spikes 

 Spikelets panicled. 



Panicles with many long capillary bracteoles 

 Panicle very large, decompound. 

 Ligule of 1. very short, coriaceous 

 Ligule of 1. longer, scarious . 

 Panicle small, sparingly branched. 



-Sp. about 250 ; 29 in Fl. 



1. S. Neesii. 



2. S. PERGRACIL.IS. 



3. S. CORYMBOSA. 



JUNCIFORMIS. 

 LITHOSPERMA. 



S. SUMATRENSIS. 

 S. ZEYLANICA. 



S. ELATA. 



S. CHINENSIS. 



