CXII. CYPERACEJE 
559 
3. Mariseus Sieberianus, Nees ; FI. Br. Ind. vi. 622. Root- 
stock short, not producing stolons ; stems 1-2| ft. Leaves J-J 
in. broad. Umbel-rays J-4 in., straight. Spikes long, nearly 3 
times their breadth. Fruiting spikelets spreading horizontally. 
Fertile flowers 1 or 2. Nut chestnut-brown. 
Throughout India, ascending to 6000 ft. — Warm regions of the Old World. 
5. ELEOCHARIS. From the Greek helos, a marsh, and 
charis, delight, referring to the habitat of the plants. — Nearly 
all regions except tropical plains, most abundant in temperate 
climates. 
Glabrous leafless herbs growing in marshy ground ; stems 
tufted, erect, base sheathed by scales. Spikelets solitary, terminal, 
rarely more. Glumes many, obtuse, densely imbricate all round 
the axis, the one or two lowest rather larger than the others, 
usually empty ; the others all containing a 2-sexual flower, but 
the uppermost soon withering. Bristles 4-7, usually 6, rough 
with minute, barb-like hairs. Stamens 3. Style 2- or 3-branched, 
base swollen. Nut about half the length of the glume, crowned 
by the persistent style-base. 
Style 2-branched. Nut flattened . . . . I. E. palustris. 
Style 3-branched. Nut 3-sided. 
Stems terete . . . . . . . 2. E. congesta. 
Stems 4-angled . . . . . . . . 3. E. tetraquetra. 
1. Eleocharis palustris, B. Br. ; FI. Br. Ind. vi. 628. Rhi- 
zome creeping ; stems 6-20 in. Spikelet J-l in. Bristles as 
long as the nut. Style 2-branched. Nut pale yellow-brown, 
smooth, flattened, faces slightly convex. 
Marshes near Theog. — N. India, ascending to 12,000 ft. — Cosmopolitan. 
2. Eleocharis congesta, Don ; FI. Br. bid. vi. 630. Root 
fibrous ; stems 3-12 in., terete, finely grooved. Spikelet J-f in. 
Bristles as long as the nut. Style 3-branched. Nut pale yellow- 
brown, smooth, 3-sided. 
Throughout India, ascending to 6000 ft. — Ceylon. 
3. Eleocharis tetraquetra, Nees ; FI. Br. Ind. vi. 630. Rhi- 
zome short, usually descending, often producing stolons ; stems 
J— 3 ft., nearly square. Bristles rather longer than the nut, hairy. 
Style 3-branched. Nut pale yellow, smooth, 3-sided. 
Hills throughout India, 1500-11,000 ft. — Tropical Asia, S. Australia. 
6. FIMBRISTYLIS. From the Latin fimbria, a fringe, and 
stylus, style, referring to the hairy style of some species. — All 
warm regions. 
Herbs, growing on dry pastures, along hedges and in rice- 
fields ; stems erect, usually tufted, leafy only near the base. 
