BOTANY. rel 
the sand on the sea-shore to the tops of the mountain. Many of them occur 
in marshy ground. 
None of the plants of the order possess important medicinal qualities. 
The creeping stems of Carex arenaria, disticha, and hirta, are diaphoretic 
and demulcent, and have been used in medicine under the name of German 
Sarsaparilla. Papyrus antiquorum is the Papyrus of the Nile, the cellular 
tissue of which was used in the manufacture of paper. ‘The species of 
Eriophorum are called cotton-grass, on account of the woolly-like substance 
which is attached to the base of the ovary. Some species of Cyperus have 
tubers at the lower part of their stems, which are used as food. ‘The roots 
of Cyperus longus have been used as bitter and tonic remedies, while those 
of C. odoratus are aromatic. Some species of Scirpus are used for making 
chair bottoms. Some of the Carices, with their creeping stems, tend to bind 
together the loose sand on the sea-shore. 
Tribe 1. Caricee. Flowers moncecious in the same (androgynous) or 
separate spikes, sometimes dicecious; proper perianth none. Achenium in- 
closed in a sac (composed of two united inner scales, perigynium), lenticular 
or triangular. The most important genus in this tribe is Carex, represented 
by a vast number of species. 
Tribe 2. Elynee. Flowers mono-diclinous, perigone, none or multisetaceous, 
setze glabrous or soft; caryopsis trigonal, bearing on its summit the base of 
the style which there forms a kind of rostrum or beak. Examples: Trilepis, 
Elyna, Kobresia. 
Tribe 3. Scleriee. Flowers moneecious; the fertile spikes one-flowered, 
the staminate several-flowered. Example: Scleria or nut rush. 
Tribe 4. Rhynchosporea. Flowers hermaphrodite or polygamous, few or 
one-flowered : perigone provided with stiff setze, ciliated or plumose ; caryopsis 
cartilaginous or .crustaceous. There are two sub-tribes, one of which has 
Rhynchospora for its type, the other Schcenus. 
Tribe 5 Cladiee. Flowers hermaphrodite, perigone none: caryopsis 
bony, thick, very hard, often expanded at the summit, naked or surmounted by 
the base of the style. Ex. Cladium, Lamprocarya, &c. 
Tribe 6. Chrysitrichee. Flowers androgynous, monocarpous : perigone 
proper, without a disk; caryopsis crustaceous, globular, wrinkled at the 
summit. Ex. Chrysithrix and Lepironia. ° 
Tribe 7. Hypolytrea. Flowers perfect: the scales, many-ranked, each 
covering a flower provided with its own (one to four) proper scale-like bract- 
lets. True perianth none. Examples: Lipocarpha, Platylepis, Hemicarpha, 
Diplasia. 
Tribe 8. Fuirenee. lowers perfect: the scales many-ranked (regularly 
imbricated on all sides), each covering a naked flower. Perianth, chiefly 
double, viz., of three ovate scale-like sepals on claws, alternating with three 
small bristles. There are three sub-tribes: 1. Melanocranidee; 2. Hemi- 
chleenez ; and 3. Ficiniee. Fuirena is the type of the latter. 
Tribe 9. Scirpee. Flowers perfect: the scales regularly several-ranked, 
all, or all but the lowest, covering a naked flower. Perianth of bristles, or 
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