Seirpus.] clxxii. CTPBEAOEiE, (0. B. Clarke.) 659 



722 ; Dah. & Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 288. S. corymbosus, Forsh. Fl. ^gypt. 

 Arab. 14 {not of Eeyne). S. tridentatus, Boxb. Fl. Ind. i. 225. — Mmbri- 

 stylis, Wall. Gat. 3504, 3505. 



From Kashmie, Jacquemont, Kashsab, alt. 10,000 ft., Scully, and Moeadabad, 

 T. Thomson, to Maxabab, Law, and Mysore, Seyne. — Disteib. Old World, with 

 vars. in Australia and America. 



Bhieome creeping, woody, divided, nodes dilating into tubers. Stems 1^-6 ft., 

 often covered some way up by sbeaths. Leaves grass-like, harsh, often as long as 

 stems. Umbel very variable in development, branches corymbose or sabumbellate ; 

 spikelets 3-8 or solitary on each rayj or umbel rarely reduced to a head of 3-1 

 spikelets. Lowest bract often 4-10 in., sometimes much shorter. Spikelets large, 

 commonly \ in. in diam. Qlumes erect, fine brown or chestnut-colrd. (but see var.) ; 

 ■ margins often subfimbriate. Bristles usually somewhat shorter than the nut, rigid, 

 often unequal. Btamens 3 ; anthers red-crested. Style long. Nut very variable 

 in size and shape at top; in the Indian form hardly more than J length of glume. 



Var. affi/nis (sp.). Roth. Nov. PI. Sp. 30 ; spikelets capitate usually 3-1, large 

 ovoid lanceolate, glumes straw-colrd. sparingly hairy, bristles 4 as long as nut, style 

 2-fid, nut small. Nees in Wight Contrib. 111. S. strobilinus, Soxb. Fl. Ind. i. 

 219. S. maritimus, var. (sp. ?), Maxim. Prim. Fl. Amur. 299. S. macrostaohys, 

 Boeci;. Cyp. Nov. i. 19. S. Balna, Ham. ; Wall. Cat. 3468.— Throughout N. India, in 

 the plains j from the Punjab, Thomson, and Bombay to Assam and Pegu. — N. Asia, 

 Turkestan, N. China, Amurland. — Appears distinct from the typical S. murifimus 

 by its few pale large spikelets and 2-fid style, but the American and Australian 

 varieties connect it. The extreme state of affinis is the Burmese form, in which the 

 stem is terminated by one very large spikelet 14 by f in. 



16. S. littoralis, Schrad. Fl. Germ. i. 142, t. 5, fig. 7 ; stems stout 

 trigonous upwards, leaves short or 0, umbel lateral, spikelets mostly solitary, 

 bristles 7-2 plumose brown, style 2-fid, nut obovoid smooth chestnut or 

 black. Reichh. Ic. Fl. Germ. viii. 42, t. 309. S. subulatus, Vahl Fnum. ii. 

 268 ; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. iii. 306 ; Balz. & Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 288 ; BoeoL in 

 Linnsea, xxxvi. 715. S. fimbrisetus, Belile Bescr. Fgypt. 11, t. 7, fig. 1. 

 , S. plumosus, Br. Prodr. 223. S. peotinatus, Boxb. Fl. Ind. i. 218 ; Thw. 

 Enum. 351. S. triqueter, Cfren. & Godr. Fl. Frame, iii. 373 ; Boeci:. I. c. 

 716 (not of Linn.). Malaoochsete littoralis, Nees in Linnsea, ix. 292.. 

 M. pectinata, Nees in Wight Contrib. 110. — Fimbristylis, Wall. Cat. 

 3506 (partly). 



Prom Kashmie, alt. 3500 ft., and Ben&al to Ceylon. — Disteib. Europe, Africa,. 

 W. Asia, Australia. 



Glabrous, except margins of glumes. Bhixome hardly any ; sometimes slender 

 stolons are present. Stems li-2|^ ft., terete at base. Leaves 1-2 in. long, mem- 

 branous ; or sometimes 4 in. long, green. Umbel compound or decompound, often 

 i in. diam.; branches suberect. Lowest bract 1-3 in. (sometimes 6 in.), erect. 

 Spikelets up to f by |- in., subcylindrie. Glumes ovate, obtuse, notched at top,, 

 mucronate in notch by excurrent green keel, rusty or brown, ultimately almost 

 scarious. Bristles (or scales) ligulate (sometimes broad), plumose by spreading 

 monoliform hairs, in the Indian plant often 4, somewhat longer than nut. Stamens 

 3 or 2 ; anthers red-crested. Nut J glume, compressed. — Easily recognized among 

 the Indian Scirpi by the plumose bristles. 



17. S. grossus, Linn. f. Swppl. 104; very large, leaves only near 

 base of stem long, corymb large compound depressed divaricate, spikelets 

 very many solitary, glumes ovate not notched, bristles 6 simply scabrous 

 (see also var. j3) sometimes small or 0, style 3-fid, nut trigonous obovoid 

 smooth ashy-grey or black. Boxb. Fl. Ind. i. 231 ; Thw. Enum. 351 ; Dalz. 

 & Gibs, Bomb. Fl. 288 ; Boeck. in Linnsea, xxxvi. 723. S. maximus, Boxb^ 



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