SCIRPUS. 803 
SCIRPUS [of Pliny], in Botany, a genus of the class 
triandria, order monogynia, natural order of calamariBe, 
cyperoideae ( Juss .)—Generic Character. Calyx: spike 
imbricate all round: scales ovate, from flat bent in, dis¬ 
tinguishing the flowers. Corolla none. Stamina: fila¬ 
ments three, finally becoming longer. Anthers oblong. 
Pjstil: germ very small. Style filiform, long. Stigmas 
three, capillary. Pericarp none. Seed one, three-sided, 
acuminate, surrounded with villose hairs shorter than the 
calyx, or without any.—-Those villose hairs in some 
species are fastened to the tip, in others to the base of 
the seed .—Essential Character. Glumes chaffy, imbricate 
every way. Corolla none. Seed one, beardless. 
I.—With a single spike. 
1. Scirpus mutatus.—Culm three-sided, naked, spike 
cylindrical terminating.—It is frequent in all the shallow 
standing waters of Jamaica, especially those to the east and 
west of Kingston. 
2. Scirpus spiralis, or spiral club-rush.—Culms aggregate 
almost naked, three-sided, spike cylindrical terminating, 
florets wedge-form truncate, disposed spirally.—Native of the 
East Indies. 
3. Scirpus articulatus, or half-jointed club-rush.—Culm 
round, almost naked, half jointed, head glomerate lateral. 
Root in bundles, fibrous, eatable.—Native of Malabar, 
Egypt and Japan. 
4. Scirpus plantagineus.—Culms round, joined, naked, 
three or four feet high, spike terminating, cylindrical, naked. 
Leaves short and compressed towards the end.—Native 
of the East Indies. 
5. Scirpus nutans.—Root fibrous. Culms several, a span 
high, filiform, compressed, in a manner four-cornered by a 
deeper streak on the narrower sides, having short brown 
scales at the base, and one or two leafless sheaths an inch in 
length. Spike naked, with ovate, entire, scarious brownish 
scales.—Native of Malacca. 
6. Scirpus palustris, or marsh creeping club-rush.—Culm 
round, sheathed at the base, spikesuboval terminating, glumes 
acute, root creeping.-—It varies in height from six inches to 
two feet or more: hence some authors make two varieties of 
it.—Native of Europe, Asia and Africa. Very common in 
England, in ditches, ponds, marshes and rivulets: flowering 
in June and July. Swine devour the roots greedily when 
fresh, but will not touch them when dry. 
7. Scirpus multicaulis, or many-stalked club-rush.—Culm 
round, sheathed at the base, spike ovate terminating, glumes 
obtuse equal, root fibrous.—Native of Lapland. 
8. Scirpus geniculatus, or knee-joined club-rush.—Culm 
round, naked, spike oblong terminating.—Found in Jamaica. 
9. Scirpus csespitosus, or sealy-stalked club-rush.—Culm 
round, striated, sheathed at the base with numerous scales, 
spike terminating, outer glumes very large. Root fibrous, 
tufted. Culms numerous, upright, varying much in height. 
—Native of Europe in bogs: flowering in July. 
10. Juncus pauciflorus, or chocolate-headed club-rush.— 
Culm round, striated, sheathed at the base, spike terminating, 
few-flowered, longer than the outer glumes. Root tufted, 
blackish.—Native of Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, France 
and Britain. 
11. Scirpus campestris.—Culm striated, naked, spike ter¬ 
minating, scarcely exceeding the two-valved calyx, calyx- 
glumes oblong, membranaceous at the tip, blunt, almost equal. 
—Native of the Duchies of Oldenburgh and Bremen. 
12. Scirpus capitatus.—Culm round, naked, bristle-form, 
spike subglobular, terminating.—Native of Virginia and the 
Caribee islands. 
13. Scirpus ovatus.—Culm sub-compressed, naked, filiform, 
spike ovate, terminating, naked, flowers two-stamened. This 
differs from acicularis in habit, in having much larger ovate 
heads of a bay colour, and a longer culm which is yellow, 
not green.—Native of Germany and Silesia. 
14. Scirpus atropurpureus.—Culms setaceous, round, in 
buudles, spikes terminating, ovate solitary, flowers one-sta- 
mened .This resembles Scirpus capitatus, but it is more 
slender.—Native of the East Indies, in boggy grounds. 
15. Scirpus polytrichoides.—Culms compressed setaceous, 
spikes terminating, solitary, somewhat nodding, one- 
stamened.—Very common in low wet pastures in Ceylon. 
Also in Amboyna. 
16. Scirpus acicularis, or least club-rush.—Culm qua¬ 
drangular, with a beardless sheath at the base, spike ovate, 
acute, terminating, outer glumes larger. Root fibrous, 
tufted. Stems numerous, from two to four inches high, very 
slender. Common in England. 
17. Scirpus fluitans, or floating club-rush.—Stem leafy, 
flaccid floating, peduncles alternate naked, spikes solitary 
terminating. Root small, fibrous.—Native of Germany, 
France, Flanders and England, in ditches and little pools 
upon grassy commons and heaths, where the water is apt to 
be dried up in summer; in which case it sometimes grows 
more luxuriantly. 
II.—A round culm with several spikes. 
18. Scirpus lacustris or tall club-rush or bull-rush.—Pa¬ 
nicle cvmed, decompounded, terminating, spikelets ovate. 
Roots creeping under water horizontally, thick and strong. 
Stems straight, four or five feet or much more in height, naked, 
round, smooth, dark green, very spongy and full of watery 
juice within, with several alternate sheathing scales at the 
base.—Native of Europe, Siberia, Japan and Jamaica; grow¬ 
ing abundantly in clear ditches and streams, fens, pools and 
lakes: flowering in July and August. Bottoms of chairs 
are very commonly made of the bull-rush: if cut at one 
year old, it makes the fine bottoms; coarse bottoms are 
made of it at two years old; such as are still older, mixed 
with the leaves of Flag, (Iris Pseudacorus) make the coarsest 
bottoms. Mats are likewise made either of this alone, or 
mixed with Flag-leaves. Cottages are sometimes thatched, 
and pack-saddles stuffed with it. It is of a soft pliant tex¬ 
ture, totally destitute of the roughness or cutting edges of 
many grass-like plants. In hard seasons cattle will eat it. 
19. Scripus glomeratus.—Culm naked umbel glomerate, 
involucre two-leaved short, flowers two-stamened.—Roots 
long, filiform.—Native of Ceylon. 
20. Scirpus arvenus.—Culms compressed, striated, two 
feet high, umbels simple, involucre one-leafed short.—Na¬ 
tive of Ceylon. 
21. Scirpus truncatus.—Culm round, head glomerate- 
globular, involucre two-leaved, leaves linear.—This and the 
four following all natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 
22. Scirpus laciniatus—Culm round, head triangular, 
glumes ovate ciliate,'involucre two-leaved. 
23. Scirpus membranaceus.—Culm round, head angular, 
glumes ovate membranaceous, involucre three-leaved. 
24. Scirpus pilosus.—Culm compressed, head ovate, 
glumes lanceolate, ciliate, involucre four-leaved. 
25. Scirpus Hystrix.—Culm capillary, head commonly 
two-spiked, glumes acuminate squarrose, involucre one-leaved. 
26. Scirpus holoschoenus, or round cluster-headed club- 
rash.—Culm round, naked, heads glomerate, peduncled or 
sessile, involucre two-leaved, unequal, leaves channelled. 
Root tufted.—Native of England, Germany, the southern 
parts of Europe and Barbary. There are three varieties. 
27. Scirpus nodosus.—Culm compressed, knotted, head 
glomerate, mucronate.—This and the next are natives of the 
Cape of Good Hope. 
28. Scirpus radiatus.—Culm round, head hemispherical, 
involucre many-leaved. 
29. Scirpus setaceus, or least club-rush.—Culm naked, 
setaceous, spikes lateral, commonly two, sessile, without 
bractes. Root fibrous, tufted.—Native of most parts of 
Europe, in wet sandy ground, and on sandy coasts: flow¬ 
ering in July and August. 
30. Scirpus supinus.—Culm round, naked, 18 inches 
high, spikes sessile, glomerate in the middle of the culm.— 
Native of France near Paris, the March of Brandenburgh, 
and Cochin-china. 
31. Scirpus 
