38 ESCULENT PLANTS OF 
69.—S. capitellatus, Mz. Fl. v. I. p. 36.— 
S. capitulus, Pers. Syn. v. I. p. 60. Muhl.! 
Gram. p. 10? 
Culm one to two feet high, triangular. 
Leaves narrow-linear, carinate, smooth, 
scabrous on the margin, shorter than the 
culm. Flowers in corymbose or capitate 
fascicles, on included or somewhat exsert- 
ed peduncles, lateral and terminal, often 
two or more from the same sheath; the 
lower ones distant. Spzkelets ovate-ob- 
long or lanceolate. Glumes brownish, 
lanceolate, mucronate. Bristles six, re- 
trorsely hispid, twice as long as the nut. 
Stamens three. Nut smooth, obovate, 
lenticular, attenuate at the base. Tubercle 
subulate, compressed, equalling the nut. 
Has. Swamps, Canada to Florida. 
Flowers from July to September. 
80. R. cephalantha ; capitulis axilla- 
ribus terminalibusque subglobosis multi- 
floris interdum geminatis, spiculis oblongo- 
lanceolatis, nuce levi orbiculato-obovata 
lenticulari submarginata basi attenuata tu- 
berculum subulatum equante, setis sursum ` 
vel retrorsum hispidis nuce duplo longi- 
oribus 
Culm thick, triangular, two to three feet 
high. Leaves narrow-linear, flat, subcari- 
nate, lower ones elongated ; the upper ones 
much shorter. Capituli two to seven, 
large, subglobose, remote, on included or 
slightly exserted peduncles, often two or 
more from the same sheath. Spikelets ob- 
long-lanceolate. Glumes fuscous, ovato- 
oblong, acute. Bristles six, about twice 
as long asthe nut, hispid upward or down- 
ward. Stamens three. Style bifid. Nut 
larger than in R. glomerata ; when mature, 
appearing as if surrounded with a thicken- 
ed margin, smooth, obovate, very broad at 
the summit, attenuate at the base as if 
raised on a short stipe. Tubercle subulate, 
compressed, as long as the nut. 
Has, Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and 
on Long Island, about Babylon ; Wilming- 
ton, N. Carolina; Georgia; New Orleans. 
Oss. This interesting species was dis- 
covered by Professor Torrey, several years 
since, in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey 
VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. 
and on Long Island, and as in these loca- 
lities it mostly occurs with only two heads, — 
it received the name of A. biceps. Our | 
plants from the Southern States have uni- — — 
formly more than two heads, and often six — 
or seven. I have therefore substituted for 
the manuscript name of Dr. Torrey, one E] 
which is, in a great degree, characteristic 
of the habit of the species. This is very 
closely allied to R. glomerata, but is much | 
larger and stronger in all its parts; its | 
sufficiently distinguishing it. 
markable, and, I believe, peculiar charac- - 
ter in this species, is, the diversity in the 3 
direction of the hispidness of the bristles; - 
even in different individuals from the same — 
cluster, the bristles being hispid both up- 
ward and downward. With this single - 
exception, the direction of the hispidness - 
of the bristles, is, in each species of the - 
genus, perfectly constant. 1 
ON THE ESCULENT PLANTS OF 
VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. | 
Ir is delightful to mark the rapid pro- | 
gress of Civilization and Science in this - 
remote region of the globe, so recently oc- 
cupied only by unfriendly savages. We 
have lately received from our friend, Ro- | 
nald Gunn, Esq. the Van Diemen Alma- 
nack for 1834, and that for 1835, where 
we have the pleasure to find, among much - 
useful miscellaneous matter, such as would - 
have put to shame the almanacks of our 
own country a very few years back, two | 
botanical communications, the first, entitled 
** Some Remarks on the Roots and other 
indigenous Esculents of Van Diemen’s - 
Land," by James Backhouse, Esq. (but : 
ne anonymously) :—the second, called ` 
“ Index Plantarum,” or an attempt to- . 
wards a popular description of some of the — 
most common and remarkable indigenous 3 
plants of Van Diemen's Land. 1 
also an anonymous production, but equally E 
due to the pen of Mr. Backhouse, aided by - 
Mr. Ronald Gunn. The first Memoir is - 
COTES t pper ee nT ERRNO eee a OES TEE EREI ENEN EAEE 
