Monograph of North American Rhi/nchospora. '-201 
Sclrpus sc.ha?noides, EllioU, ! Bot. S. Car. 6f Georg. I. p. 89. 
Culm about three feet high, triangular, leafy, especially towards the 
base. Leaves somewhat coriaceous, glabrous, 2 lines wide ; the lower 
ones 8 — 10 inches in length; the upper ones much shorter and somewhat 
distant. Panicles -i — -5, on somewhat exserted peduncles; the terminal 
one largest. Branches of the panicle subapproximate, filiform ; the 
lower ones nearly 2 inches in length, with a scabrous, setaceous bract 
at the base of each. Spikelets ovate, small, rather loosely disposed 
upon the ramuli, on short pedicels or glomerate in twos and threes. 
Glumes fuscous, broad-ovate, carinate, with a very short mucro. 
Bristles 6, twice as long as the nut, strongly hispid upward. Style 
long, cleft almost to the base. Nut a little exceeding half a line in 
length, obovate, much compressed, deeply transversely rugose, 
crowned with a compressed-conic tubercle, nearly one-third its length. 
Hab. New Orleans, T. Drummond, (r. sp. in Herb. Torr.); 
St. Mary'o, Florida, Dr. Baldivin ; Georgia, Le Conte ; 
Gadsden County, Middle Florida, Dr. Chapman. 
Obs. This very distinct species somewhat resembles R. ca- 
duca ; from which, however, it may be readily distinguished 
by its more numerous and smaller spikelets, its strong- 
ly hispid bristles, and its much compressed and deeply ru- 
gose nut. The herbarium of Dr. Baldwin contains speci- 
mens of this plant, with R. inexpansa and R.patida, under 
the name of R. pcndula. In his manuscript detailed de- 
scription he has very strangely confused these three spe- 
cies ; but the plant here described is doubtless the one which 
he transmitted under this name to Elliott, as a specimen 
of Scirpus schcenoides from Mr. Elliott in the herbarium 
of Dr. Torrey, agrees in all respects with our plant. This 
species produces a greater number of nuts than is usual 
with the genus, on which account Mr. Elliott referred it to 
the genus Scirpus ; but R. miliacea and R. caduca often 
ripen nearl}^ the same number. 
8. Rhynchospora patula. 
R. culmo triquetro, superne gracili ; corymbis axillaribus ter- 
minalibusque, patulis, laxifloris; spiculis ovatis ; nuce orbi- 
