98 Cyperacece. [Sderia. 



more slender habit, narrower leaves, and well-developed scarious ligule. 

 Of two sheets in Herb. Peraden. one from Hantani and Ambagamuwa 

 has paler spikelets and globose puberulous nuts, the other, from Horton 

 Plains, has very dark and rather larger spikelets, and ellipsoid, glabrous, 

 much larger nuts. — J. D. H. 



9, S. chinensis, Kunth,Enum.\\. 357 (1837), var. biauriculata, 



Clarke, 1. c. 690. 



S. exaltata, Boeck. in Engl. Jahrb. v. 511. S. elala, Thw. 1. c. (in 

 part). C. P. 825. 



Fl. B. Ind. vi. 690. 



Stem 2-4 ft., rather slender, trigonous, angles smooth 

 or scaberulous ; 1. 12-18 in. by \-\ in. broad, narrowed into 

 a very long, slender, obtuse tip, flat, 3-veined, margins 

 scaberulous ; sheaths long, trigonous, closed, mouth pubes- 

 cent, with an oblong or rounded scarious ligule opposite the 

 blade ; spikelets numerous, pale or dark brown, subsolitary 

 on the spreading branches and branchlets of terminal and 

 subterminal, open glabrous panicles 3-6 in. long ; bracteoles 

 capillary ; fruiting spikelets T V in.; glumes 3, broadly ovate, 

 cuspidately acuminate, glabrous ; disk-lobes short, rounded ; 

 nut r globose, T V in. diam., to broadly ellipsoid, | in. long, 

 apiculate, glabrous or puberulous, faintly cancellate in vertical 

 lines, white. 



Montane zone ; rather rare. Hantane (Thwaites) ; Ambagamuwa ; 

 Horton Plains. Fl. March, Sept., Dec. 



Also at Singapore. 



10. S. tessellata, Willd. Sp. PL iv. 315 (1805). 



Moon, Cat. 62. S. tessellata, var. /3, Thw. Enum. 354. C. P. 3033. 

 Fl. B. Ind. vi. 686. 



Stems 2-3 ft., from a small hard base, rather slender, 

 triquetrous, rigid ; 1. 10-12 in. by ^ in. or less, linear, sub- 

 acute or obtusely acuminate, rigid, 3-veined, margins involute, 

 scaberulous, sheaths trigonous, closed, mouth truncate, 

 glabrous ; spikelets not numerous, in small clusters on the 

 branches of narrow erect terminal and subterminal, sparingly 

 branched panicles 2-3 in. long, branches of panicle subtended 

 by filiform bracteoles \-\ in. long ; fruiting spikelets T V in. 

 long ; glumes 3, broadly ovate, acuminate ; disk-lobes very 

 small, triangular, obtuse; nut globose, -j^ in. diam., tessellately 

 cancellate in vertical lines, puberulous with reddish hairs, top 

 rounded, not beaked, white. 



Moist low country below 1000 ft.; rather rare. Kalutara (Moon); 

 Galle (Thwaites) ; Mawarelle. Fl. Dec. 



Also in India, Malaya, Australia, China, and Japan. 



Very closely allied to S. biflora, and the species are mixed on the 

 sheet of the latter in Herb. Peraden. S. tessellata is a much more rigid 

 plant, with narrow leaves, its nut is not mucronate, and the disk-lobes 

 are shorter and broader. — J. D. H. 



