North American Cyperacea. 38S5 
Whole plant pale greeu, minutely anrl sparsely hairy. Culm 
10 — 20 inches high, slender. Leaves linear, flat, subacute. Fas- 
cicles closely sessile, somewhat remotely and alternately disposed at 
the summit of the culm, reflexed when old. Bracts minute and seta- 
ceous, sometimes none ; that of the lowest fascicle occasionally some- 
what foliaceous. Spikelets 4 — 6 in each fascicle, staminifcrous above. 
Scales of the fertile flowers hispid, scarious, tawny or purplish, with a 
green keel, which is produced into a long and firm cusp ; those of the 
staminate flowers fascicled, lanceolate or linear, obtuse and pointless, 
glabrous. Stamens 3. Nut about half a line in diameter, smooth and 
shining, minutely apiculate with the base of the style, slightly raised 
upon a 3-sided base, each side furnished at its junction with the spheri- 
cal portion with about 7 very minute pores or dots. 
Hab. Carolina to Florida, Michmix ; New Orleans, T. 
Drummond ! and Dr. Ingalls ! ; Middle Florida, Dr. Chap- 
man ! 
Obs. There is some confusion about the synonomy of this 
plant, which I have not the means of reconciling. Our plant 
is the S. interriqjta of IMichaux, as I have ascertained by 
examining the specimens in his herbarium ; and in a note ap- 
pended to the specific character, tliat author states his plant to 
be identical with a species collected in French Guyana by L. 
C. Richard. He does not, however, quote Richard's paper 
in the Transactions of the Nat. Hist. Society of Paris, where 
S. interrupta was originally established (which I regret that I 
am unable to consult) ; but inasmuch as it is well known that 
the collections of Michaux were studied, and in a good degree 
described, by Richard himself, who may be supposed to know 
his own species, we might rest satisfied of the identity of the 
North American and the Guyana plant, were it not that Will- 
denow, who seems to know the latter plant, describes it as 
having a transversely rugose-verrucose nut, and as very closely 
resembling S. verticillata. It is possible, therefore, that 
Michaux may have been mistaken, and that our plant is not 
the original S. interrupta. Pursh and Elliott both copy the 
Vol. m. 49 
