base; the other, placed opposite to it, is much shorter,
broader, almost wholly membranaceous and resembling- an
outer glume or scale of the flower, only more distinctly
terminated with a short green mucro. Glumes rather
laxly imbricated, ovate, entire, membranaceous, pale, with
the nerve green above and ending in an obscure green mucro.
Stamens 3. Stigmas 3. Setae none. Fruit globose,
inclining to obovate, very obtusely triquetrous, shortly
mucronate, dotted with small elevated points placed in
lines, but not in the least costate, dull brown when ripe,
and apparently covered with a thin scurf, or skin. Thevar. /3
differs in the smaller size, constantly single spikelet, and
shorter involucre.
For directing our attention to the characters which distinguish
this species of Club Rush from its congeners we are
indebted to R. J . Shuttleworth, Esq. of Chateau d’Erlach,
Lac de Bienne, Switzerland, who found it in wet bogs
during July, 1832, at Renoyle in the West of Ireland, and
sent it to us as a species certainly distinct from S. setaceus.
On his late visit to England he obligingly communicated
to us further remarks on the species and a drawing of the
fruit by Dr. Schmidt with the name “Isolepis Hibernica,
Schmidt;” but at the same time with the remark that it
was probably thelsolepis Saviana of Roem. & Sch., a species
hitherto Considered to be exclusively Italian; and on comparing
our specimens with the Scirpus Sami, in our herbarium,
from Professor Tenore, we find them precisely to
accord : thus we have another interesting addition to the
list of those Southern European plants which are natives
of Ireland. If carefully examined, none of our species of
the genus is more readily recognised; but we think it probable
that a hasty glance would induce many botanists to
pass it by as either Scirpus (Isolepis) setaceus, which Mr.
Shuttleworth’s specimens most resemble, or Scirpus (Elaso-
charis) acicularis, to which the late Mr. Sealy’s specimens
have so much affinity that they are so named in his herbarium
now in my possession. The fruit is indeed quite different
from both. Mr. Sealy detected his specimens in the
county of Cork, and no doubt it will be found abundantly
elsewhere in Ireland.
While this sheet is in the press we find among specimens
of “ Scirpus setaceus,” received from W\ Wilson, Esq.,
that those from “Anglesea” are identical with our S. Savii,
and the same as he described in the Botanical Miscellany
(v. 2. p. 134.) as having the “ seed nearly round, scarcely
triangular, not furrowed, reddish brown, granulated, covered
with a closely adhering skin.”—W. J . H.