Uhynchoapora.'] cypeeacejE. 397 



or rarely 3 narrow ones with male flowers. Hypogynous bristles 6 or 7, 



longer tlian the nut. Nut obovate, thickened at the top, and crowned by a 



thick conical beak, furrowed on each side and longer than the nut itself. 



Hongkong, Harland. Widely distributed over the tropieal regions of the New and the 

 Old "World. ^ 



3. R. laxa, Br.; Kunih, Unum. ii. 298. Like the last, but much more 

 slender, although 2 ft. high or more. Leaves narrow. Spikelets about 3 

 lines long, in clusters forming small loose corymbs, of which 1 terminal and 



2 or 3 axillary and remote. Glumes as in S. aurea, but shorter, and there 

 are usually 2 hermaphrodite flowers. Hypogynous bristles 6 or 7. Style 

 long, 2-cleft at the top. Nut not thickened at the top, marked with minute 

 transverse wrinkles, the conical beak not longer than the nut nor so thick, 

 and not furrowed. 



Hongkong, jBTamcff, Wright; at Little Hongkong, Wilford. Widely distributed over the 

 tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. The R. chinensis, Nees, PI. Meyen. 108, 

 is a more slender variety, with rather smaller spikelets. 



11. CLADIUM, Br. 



Characters of Ehynchospora, except that the nut has a thick almost fleshy 

 outer coating, tapering at the top into the style, but without any distinct beak. 

 — Habit of the larger paniculate Rhynchosporas. 



A small hut widely dispersed genus, common to the New and the Old World, sometimes 

 extended to include several Austrdian species vrith a somewhat different habit. 



1. C. IMariscus, Br.; Kunth, Enum. ii. 303. Ehizome creeping. Stems 



3 to 6 ft. high. Leaves nearly erect, the lowest nearly as long as the stem, 

 with smooth sheaths, the keel and edges very rough and cutting. Spikelets 

 about 3 lines long in the Chinese specimens, from that to 3 lines in others, 

 rather pointed, in small but numerous clusters arranged in corymbose panicles 

 in the upper axils, the whole forming an oblong leafy panicle, often above a 

 foot long. Glumes brown, the 4 or 5 outer ones shorter and empty, one with a 

 hermaphrodite and one with a male flower. Stamens usually 2. Style 2-cleft. 

 — C. chineme, Nees, PI. Meyen. 116. 



Hongkong, Hance. Widely spread over the tropical and temperate regious of the Old 

 World, occurring also, but more sparingly, in America. I can perceive no difference what- 

 ever between the Chinese and the European specimens, except that the spikelets are rather 

 smaller than they are usually with us ; but this is a variable character in Europe, and in 

 several African and Asiatic specimens they are quite as small as in China. 



13. ARTHROSTYLES, Br. 



Characters of Ekynchospora except that there are no hypogynous bristles, 

 and the style (usually 3-cleft) is articulate upon the ovary and nut below the 

 dilated base, as in Ahildgaardia and Mmbrktyles. — Stems tufted, leafless, ex- 

 cept a sheath at the base. Spikelets in a terminal head. 



Besides our species, the genus comprises one from Australia and another from the Mauritius. 



1. A. chinensis, BenU., n. sp. Stems slender, almost subulate, 3-angled, 

 1 to li ft. high, with a short sheath at the base. Spikelets narrow, pointed, 

 near 3 lines long, 3 to 6 together in an oblique terminal head, the longest 

 leafy bract about the length of the head and appearing sometimes to continue 



