512 juncacEjE. [Juncus. 



Sheaths short, torn at the suininit, dark brown or red, loosely investing the while 

 bases of the scape, which are very clammy, and possess a peculiar fragrance, 

 resembling thai of cedar-wood, not, I believe, noticed by any author. Barren 

 scapes mostly shorter than the fertile, their points brown, with awhile tip and very 

 sharp. Panicle terminal, of several principal, erect, compressed branches, rising 

 one above another in a proliferous arrangement, and divided at iheir summits into 

 shorter and still compounded ones, bearing the clusters, with several acute whitish 

 bracts beneath each bifurcation ; the general bract like a continuation of the 

 scape, but wilh a distinct articulation at its closely sheathing base ; in length 

 about equal to the panicle. Flowers in clusters of 3 — 8,* greenish, included in a 

 pair or more of pale chaify bracts. Segments of the perianth equal, lanceolate, 

 greenish at the back, with streaks of reddish brown, their tips and edges white and 

 membranous, especially of the three inner ones, which are often much dilated. 

 Anthers pale yellow. Germen pear-shaped, and as well as the style red ; stigmas 

 twisted in a close compact spiral, and fringed wilh long crystalline points. Cap- 

 sule small, yellowish, acute, with a blackish tip, in all ray specimens a little 

 exceeding the perianth in length. Seeds numerous, pale yellow, obova to-oblong, 

 covered with a wrinkled slightly woolly tunic, few only perfected. 



The long, white, woidly hairs on the seeds of this plant is a very singular cha- 

 racter of the species : do they exist on J. acutus also ? 



** Leaves none. Barren scapes resembling leaves. Panicle lateral. 



2. J. effusus, L. Soft Rush. " Scapes very faintly striated 

 soft, ' pith continuous,' panicle branched, sepals spreading lanceo- 

 late nearly equal acuminate rather longer than the obovate retuse 

 not apiculate capsule." — Br. Fl. p. 446. E. B, t. 836. Host. 

 Gram. Aust. iii. 55, t. 83. 



In poor wet pastures, on moist heaths and commons, &c. ; abundant. Fl. 

 July. If. 



3. J. conglomeratus, L. Common Rush. " Scapes very faintly 

 striated soft, ' pith continuous,' panicle branched, sepals lanceo- 

 late acute nearly equal about as long as the obovate retuse apicu- 

 late capsules, stamens 3." — Br. Fl. p. 447. E. B. t. 835. Host. 

 Gram. Aust. iii. 55, t. 82. 



a. " Panicle dense globose." — Br. Fl. 



0. " Panicle more or less diffuse." — Br. Fl. 



In wet barren pastures, by roadsides, &c. ; everywhere. P/. June, July. Fr. 



July, n. 



73. Not uncommon. 



Besides the much darker colour of the capsules in the present species, they 

 appear to ripen considerably before those of /. effusus. 



4. J. diffusus, Hoppe. Loose-flower-ed Rush. " Scapes finely 

 striated rigid, 'pith continuous' (or interrupted), panicle loose 

 much branched erect, sepals lanceolate subulate longer than the 

 obovate obtuse mucronate capsule, stamens 6." — Br. Fl. p. 447. 

 Hoppe in Sturm's Deutsch. Flora, 77, 10. 



In similar situations with the following, and, in the few stations in which I have 



* The clusters, properly speaking, are seldom composed of three or four clus- 

 ters included within the same pair of bracts, but two or more such clusters are so 

 closely aggregated that they may perhaps be fairly considered as forming 

 only one. 



