48 T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacece. 



define these organs as representing two whorls of rudimentary 

 leaves, three in the exterior and six in the interior whorl, cor- 

 responding to Boeckeler's "perigynium duplex." This 

 perigynium varies greatly, as we have stated above. In S.. 

 reticularis Michx. there are only three, but very distinct, 

 lobes in the inner whorl, while in S triylomerata Michx. 

 these organs are reduced to a minutely papillose cupule. 

 It is, also, to be noted, that while the inferior disk remains 

 with the bracts, the superior falls off with the fruit. The 

 presence of these two whorls of rudimentary organs might 

 warrant the supposition that they represent formations 

 analogous to the dimorphous perianth-leaves, which we 

 described in another article as characteristic of Fuirena 

 squarrosa and scirpoidea. We feel inclined to consider these 

 organs as perianth leaves, rather than abortive stamens, inas- 

 much as the male flower in this genus has but three stamens, or 

 sometimes two or even one only.* ' A double whorl of true 

 stamens is, according to Pax known only in the genera 

 Reed i a, Lepidospenna, Elynanthus, JEvandra and in a few 

 species of Gahnia and Lamjprocarya. 



In regard to the bracts, which belong to the male and female 

 inflorescences, we can state that in Scleria jpaueiflora Muhl. 

 the male spikes are composed of several spirally arranged 

 bracts, each of which subtends a staminate flower, while the 

 one-flowered female spike bears constantly three distichous 

 bracts, of which the two lower ones are empty. In the andro- 

 gynous spikes the basal female flower is preceded by only one 

 empty bract. It is to be noted, furthermore, that the dis- 

 tichous arrangement of the bracts in the female spike is trans- 

 verse to that of the supporting leaf, and that the first empty 

 bract succeeding the prophyllon is placed to the right of the 

 rhachis, which is to be seen from the accompanying diagram 



None of the flowers possess any prophyllon, but a clado-pro- 

 phyllon is constantly developed at the base of each lateral 

 peduncle. This is very short, membranaceous, often emargi- 

 nate and surrounds the peduncle with its free margins. Exam- 

 ining the inflorescence of S. pauciflora, we notice that the 

 flowers are all arranged in spikes, forming together a more or 

 less decompound inflorescence. These spikes may be situated 

 at the apex of the stem, supported by green leaf-like bracts, or 

 there may also be developed a secondary inflorescence from the 

 axil of one of the lower situated stem-leaves. The composi- 



* The male flower is generally described as having from one to two stamens ; 

 this statement is, however, not correct, since we have observed thre^ normally 

 developed stamens in our North American species with the exception of S. reticu- 

 laris Michx. and S. Torreyana Walp., in which we have only found two. 



