i68 CLXii. CYPERACEiE. \Lepidosperma. 
or more, terete, glaucous. Panicle 3 to 4 in. long, dense. Glumes 
black-brown, oblong, truncate. Bristles oblong, acute, yellowish. 
Nut oblong trigonous, narrowed at both ends, yellow, dotted dark 
red. Hah. Mountains on rocks at 3000 to 7000 ft. altitude. 
Rare, Johor, Gunong Belumut (Holttum), Malacca, Mount Ophir. 
Pahang, Gunong Tahan. Perak, Gunong Kerbau, 6600 ft. altitude; 
Gunong Inas (Yapp). Kedah, Gunong Bintang (Kloss). Distrib. 
South China. 
var. alpina Ridl. Dwarf tufted plant, 6 to 8 in. tall, rigid. 
Leaves acute, nearly as long as flowering stems. Panicle i in. long, 
denser. Bristles ovate acuminate broader. Hab. Pahang, Gunong 
Tahan (Ridley). 
16 . GAHNIA, J. R. and G. Forster. 
Large coarse tufted plants. Leaves usually numerous and 
scabrid. Culms leafy. Panicle dense spike-like, or lax nodding. 
Spikelets numerous, clustered, dark brown or black. Glumes, 
lower three empty, often hairy, middle one only fertile, upper ones 
empty. Bristles o. Stamens 3; filaments persistent, holding the nut. 
Styls trifid, base continuous, forming a small black cone on the top 
of the nut. Nut oblong trigonous or rounded, whitish yellow, then 
red, and finally black. Species 27, chiefly Australian and Poly¬ 
nesian. 
Panicle dense, erect: spikelets crowded in heads . . (i) G. tristis 
Panicle lax, nodding. 
Leaves narrow; bracts at bases of panicle-branches 
short narrow; flowers black . . . . . (2) G. javanica 
Leaves flat, broad at base; bracts at bases of 
branches broad and long; flowers brown . . (3) G. castanea 
(1) G. tristis Nees. Linncea ix. 301; Ridl, Mat. hi. 98. 
A large plant forming tussocks. Leaves numerous, 2-5 to 3 ft. 
long, narrow, scabrid. Panicle stout, stiff, spiciform, 2 to 3 ft. tall, 
with 17 or 18 dense black spikes of clustered spikelets. Bracts 
broad-based, limb very narrow. Spikelets clustered, 3 or 4 in 
cluster, small. Glumes ; lowest short broad, middle ones lanceolate 
keeled, tip elongate scabrid, upper 4 oblong, blunt, short. Nut -12 
in. long, broadly fusiform, trigonous, yellowish, tip conic, black, when 
ripe all black. Hab. Sea coasts and river banks near the sea in 
dry spots, also on mountains at 4000 ft. altitude. Singapore, com¬ 
mon. Johor, Panchur; Sendai River. Malacca, on Mount Ophir. 
Pahang, Gunong Tahan. Selangor, Kwala Lumpur. Distrib. 
Malay isles near Singapore, Borneo, China, Annam. 
(2) G. javanica Moritzi, Verz, Zoll. Pfl. 98. var. penangensis 
Clarke in Hook. fit. F.B.I. vi. 676; Ridl. Mat. iii. 99. 
A large tufted plant, sometimes with a stout prostrate stem 3 ft. 
long covered with leaf bases and roots. Leaves 3 to 4 ft. long, linear 
acuminate, scabrid. Culms erect, 8 to 12 ft. tall, panicle 18 to 24 in. 
long, black, lax nodding, much branched. Spikelets very numerous, 
