138 J. R'. Drummond — On a new Scirpus from BelucMstan^ ^c. [No. 4 



(En. II. 268, 1805) gives as an inhabitant of the Nicobars (collector 

 not stated) and describes it as follows: — 



Aphyllus spiels oblongis, sqiiamis carina puhescentihus stylo trifido, 

 involucri foliolum longius rigidum Iseve, squamis emarginatis * * * 

 setae apice plumosae * * * 



He distinguishes his plant from S. lacustris by the setae being plu- 

 mose, not retrorsely echinate. 



Who collected Vahl's plant and where specimens are to be seen, I 

 have so far failed to discover. 



In 1806 Schrader*s Flora (rermanica appeared, in which he distin- 

 guished Scirpus litoralis as an undescribed species resembling 8, trique- 

 ter of Willd., between which and S. maritimus he inserted it. 



His figure shews a Scirpus of the triqueter stamp with two styles 

 and what may have been two plumose setae, also a membranous ligalate 

 body which looks like a filament wanting its anther or a 3rd (glab- 

 rous) segment of the perigoninm ; the nut is shown as obovate and 

 acuminate, without any trace of a style base ; the stigma is bifid : 

 glumes faintly carinate, hardly acute, entire, and not ciliate ; spikelets 

 less than \ an inch in length. 



His description is not strictly in accord with his figure, more parti- 

 cularly as regards the glumes ; these he says are very blunt and tipped 

 with a long mucro, which is more or less reflexed. 



Bentham (Fl. Austr. VII 334) remarks that the essential character 

 derived from the bristles of 8. Uttoralis was overlooked both by Lin- 

 naeus and Schrader, but it must be noted that the plant was not taken up 

 by Linn89us. Schrader records that he had not seen ripe fruit, but his 

 figure shews the plumose bristles as to which the text is silent. 



His plant was found by Wulfenius in marshes near Duino and 

 Monfalcone on the Adriatic (Gulf of Trieste) ; I have not seen speci- 

 mens. 



In 1812 Scirpus fimhrisetus was published by Delile as an Egyptian 

 species. The figure and description suggest that his plant differs 

 from that of the northern shores of the Mediterranean if at all, as 

 follows : — 



(a ) main involucral bract hardly exceeding the inflorescence ; 



(6) inflorescence more compact, peduncles stiffer ; 



(c) achene obcordate, rounded at the apex, hardly acuminate, 

 style-base manifest ; 



