144 BOTANY OF CONGO. 



species discovered in Madagascar by M. da Petit Tliouars, 

 and said to resemble C. Papyrus except in the vaginae of 

 the partial umbels.-' 



Among the species of Cyperaceee in the collection, having 

 the most extensive range, are Ci/2}erus articulatiis, which is 

 459] common to America, India, and Egypt ; Fuirena um- 

 hellata and UleocJiaris cajntata^ both of which have been 

 found in America, India, and New Holland ; and Cyperus 

 li(jularis indigenous to other parts of Africa and to America. 



Hypalyptum argpnteum, a species established by Vahl 

 from specimens of India and Senegal, and since observed 

 in equinoctial America by Baron Humboldt, is also in the 

 collection. 



The name Hypcelyptum, under which I have formerly 

 described the genus that includes //. argenteum^ was adop- 

 ted from Vahl, without inquiry into its origin. It is pro- 

 bably, however, a corruption of Hypmlytrum,^ by which M. 

 Richard, as he himself assures me, chiefly intended another 

 genus, with apparently similar characters, though a very 

 different habit, and one of whose species is described by 

 Vahl in Hypselyptum ; his character being so constructed 

 as to include both genera. M. Kunth has lately published 

 H. argentemn under the name of Hypselytrum ;^ but in 

 adopting the generic character given in the ' Prodromus 

 Florae Novae Hollandiae,' he has, in fact, excluded the plants 

 that M. Richard more particularly meant to refer to that 

 genus. It is therefore necessary, in order to avoid further 

 confusion, to give a new name to Hypselyptum as I have 

 proposed to limit it, which may be LipocarpJia, derived 

 from the whole of its squamae being deciduous. 



In describing Lijmcaipha (under the name of Hypeelyp- 

 tum) in the work referred to, I have endeavoured to 

 establish the analogy of its structure to that of Kyllinga ; 

 the inner or upper squamae being in both genera opposite 

 to the inferior squama, or anterior and posterior, with re- 

 lation to the axis of the spikelet : while the squamte of 



' Encyc. Method. Botaii. vol. 7, p. 270. 



" Frodr. F/or. Nov. Boll. l,p. 225. Scirpiis capitatus Tn/ld. sp. pi. \, p. 

 29 i, exclus. syn. Gronovii. s Prodr. Flo;-. Nov. Holl. 1, p, 219. 



■" Persoon Si/n. Plant 1, p. 70. * Nov. Gen. et Sp. Plant 1, p. 218. 



