Ji'imhmtylis.] OLII. CYPERACE2E. 1767 



Spikelets ovate, 4 to o lines long. Glumes rather loosely imbricate, ovate, 

 obtuse, membranous, hyaline towards the margin, the lower ones 2 lines long. 

 Stamens 3. Style slender, glabrous ; branches 3. Nut olavate-pyriform, 

 3-angled, pale-coloured, tuberculate. 



nab.: Barcoo Kiver, NeiUon; between Roma and the Barooo, Dirch. 



33. P. capitata (headed), 11 Br. Prod. 228; BeiUh. Fl. Amtr. vii. 31C. 

 Stems tufted, rather slender, often 1ft. high. Leaves much shorter, few, linear, with 

 short open sheaths, or reduced to sheathing scales. Head of spikelets dense and 

 globular, 4 to 6 lines diameter, either tisrminal concealing the very short bract, 

 ■or appearing lateral owing to the involucral bract continuing the stem and some- 

 times-twice as long as the head, or the inflorescence proliferous emitting a short 

 branch with a second head. Spikelets brown, ovate or oblong, 2 to 3 lines or 

 when old' 4 lines long, IJ to 2 lines broad. Glumes loosely imbricate in few 

 rows, membranpiili psominently keeled, obtuse or minutely pointed, the sides 

 nerveless, 1. or, sometimes 2 smaller outer ones empty. Stamens 3. Style 

 glabrous or nearly so, the basal dilatation very small ; branches 3. Nut obovoid- 

 -globular, the angles not prominent, tuberculate.— F. cephalophora, F. v: M. 

 Fragm. i. 196. 



Hab.; Endeavour River, Jjanks and Solander. 



3i. P. barbata (bearded), Benth. Fl, Austr, vii. 321. Apparently annual. 

 Stems tufted, filiform, 3 to Sin. high. Leaves much shorter; filiform, the sheaths 

 loose at the apex and ciliate or bearded with long hairs. Spikelets 6 to 10 

 liogether in a single terminal sessile cluster or. head. Involucral bracts few, 

 filiform, 1 rather longer than the head. Spikelets brown, erect, narrow, 2 to 3 

 ^ines long. Glumes not numerous, erect, loosely imbricate, the very prominent 

 usually 3- nerved and pale-colom-ed keel produced into a slightly recurved point, 

 the sides membranous, almost scarious, nerveless. Stamen usually 1. Style 

 glabrous ; branches 3. Nut obovoid, slightly granular, the minute bulbose base 

 of the style long persistent, but articulate on the nut and sometimes falling away 

 at maturity. — Scirpus barbatus, Eottb. ; Boeckel. in Linnaea, xxxvi. 751 ; Isalijm 

 ■barbata, R. Br. Prod. 222 ; Kunth, Enum. ii. 208 ; F. v. M. Fragm. ix. 7. 



Hab.: Gulf of Carpentaria, R. Brown; Bustard Bay, Banks and Solander; Eockingbara Bay, 

 ' Dallachy ; Dawson River, 1<. o. Mueller ; Dry-beef Creek, Leichhardt ; Gainsford, Bowman ; 

 Bowen Downs, Birch. 



Widely spread Over the tropical regions of the Old World. 



35, p. capUlaris (like hair), A. Gray, :\Ian. Bot. y. U. S. ed. 5. 567 ; Benth. 

 Fl. Austr. \n. 322. Annual. Stems tufted, filiform, 3 to 9in. high. Leave? 

 much sbortee,- numerous, filiform. Umbel simple or slightly compound, of few 

 short filiform rays. Involucral bracts small and glume-like, or 1 or 2 produced 

 into a filiform point shorter than the inflorescence. Spikelets ovoid-oblong, 

 ^bout 2 lines long, not clustered. Glumes not numerous, loosely imbricate, the 

 ikeel very prominent, pale-coloured, produced into a minute slightly spreading 

 point, the sides brown and nerveless. Stamens 2 or 3. Style slender, glabrous ; 

 Tjranches 3. Nut small, obovoid, prominently 3-augled, very obtuse, the minute 

 Tjulbose base of the style articulate but long persistent, usually however falling off 

 at maturity. — Scirpus capUlaris, Linn. ; Bceckel. in Linnoea, xxxvi. 759 ; Isolepis 

 ■eapiltaris, Rcem. et Schult. ; Kunth, Enum. ii. 211 ; F. v. M. Fragm. ix. 7. 



Hab.: Rockingham Bay, Dallachy ; Sandy Creek, Herb. v. Mueller. 



Widely spread over the tropical and subtropical regions of the New and the Old World, 

 extending into the more temperate districts of 'North America. 



