Soirpus.] CYPEEACE^. 395 



beak-like persistent bulbous base of the style.— Meocharis afflata, Steud. Syn. 

 Cyper. 76. 



Hongkong, Champion, Harland, WrigJit. In Nepal, Khasia, and the Archipelago. I refer 

 this to E. afflata from Steudel's chaiaoter. It is very near the European S. muUicanlis, Sm., 

 but there is no ereeping rhizome, the spikelets dre smaller, the glumes more numerous, 

 smaller, and perhaps hroader. 



3. S. juncoides, Eoxh.; Kunth, Enum. ii. 160. Stems tufted, leaf- 

 less, except a very stort sheath at the base, as in the two last species,' but 

 much firmer, f to IJ ft. high. Spikelets ovoid or oblong, 3 to 6 lines long, 

 usually 3 together, sessile in an apparently lateral cluster ; the outer leafy 

 bract continuing the stem to the length of 1 or 2 in. Glumes loosely im- 

 bricate, very broad and concave, obtuse, or very shortly pointed, of a greenish 

 straw-colour or pale brown. Hypogynous bristles 4 to 6. Style 2-cleft or 

 with a third smaller branch. Nut crowned by the short slightly thickened 

 persistent base of the style. 



Hongkong, Harland; eommon in paddy-fields, Wilford. Widely diifused over India, from 

 Ceylon and the Peninsula to the Archipelago. 



4. S. chinensis, Munro in Seem. Bot.Her.Asi'i. A coarse leafjf species, 



2 ft. high or more. Leaves glaucous, as long as the stem or longer, 3^ to ^ in. 

 wide, rough on the midrib and edges. Spikelets numerous, ovoid, about 2 

 lines long, either closely sessile in clusters of 3 to 8, or rarely solitary on the 

 unequal rays of a compound umbel. Leafy bracts few, very long. Glumes 

 brown, thin, very broad and concave, and very closely imbricate. Hypogy- 

 nous bristles 3 or 3, with the teeth pointed upwards, not downwards as in the 



3 preceding species. Style deeply 2-cleft. Nut flat, shining, crowned by the 

 short slightly thickened persistent base of the style. 



Hongkong, Wright. In Assam, Khasia, and JBonin. 



9. FUIRENA, Linn. 



Characters of Scirpus, except that there are 3 obovate or obcordate hypogy- 

 nous scales, and, in some species, 3 bristles alternating with them. — Stems 

 usually leafy. Spikelets green, often hairy and squarrose with the spreading 

 tips of the glumes, usually in dense clusters forming an irregular terminal 

 narrow pp,nicle. 



A tropical and subtropical genus, common to the New and the Old World, extending also 

 more sparingly into the more temperate regions of N. America and S. Europe. 



Stem 1^ to 3 ft. Leaves not ciliate. Hypogynous scales narrowed at 



the base 1- -f- umhellata. 



Stems under 1 ft. Leaves ciliate. Hypogynous scales cordate at the 



base and stipitate 2. J. glomerata. 



1. F. umbellata. Both ; Kunth, Enum. ii. 185. A perennial \^ to 3 ft. 

 hia-h. Stem and leaf-sheaths 4- or 5-angled, glabrous. Leaves also glabrous, 

 the larger ones usually 4 to 6 in. long, 4 to 5 lines broad, the lower ones with 

 long sheaths and very short blades, the uppermost passing into small floral 

 leaves. Spikelets brown-green, usually 3 to 4 lines long, rather acute, in 

 very dense clusters, of which 1 or 2 terminal, the others more or less pedun- 

 culate, 1 or 2 together in the axils of the uppermost leaves. Hypogynous 

 scales brown, obovate, near J line long, truncate and mucronate at the top, 



