Bulbostylis paradoxa (Spreng.) Lindm.

Bulbostylis paradoxa (Spreng.) Lindm. Bih. Sv. Vet.-Akad Handl. 26(3)^ 17. 1900.
Schoenus spadiceus H.B.K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1 : 227. 1816. (Venezuela.) Not Eriocaulon spa-
diceum Lam. 1789 ; nor Schoenus spadiceus Vahl, 1805. Schoenus paradoxus Spreng. Syst. 1 : 190. 1825. ? Nemum spadiceum Desv. ; Hamilt. Prodr. 13. 1825. Isolepis paradoxa Kunth, Enum. PI. 2: 206. 1837.
Rhynchospora perrigida Bock. Allg. Bot. Zeitschr. 2 : 93. 1896. (Central America.) Stenophyllus paradoxus Standley, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 18: 88. 1916. Bulbostylis spadicea Kiikenth. Repert. Sp. Nov. 23 : 197. 1926. Perennial with a thickened, vertical base clothed by persistent leaf-bases, the resulting fire-resistant structure often 6 cm. long and 3 cm. thick ; culms 4-12, borne at the apex of the caudex ; leaves capillary to filiform, flattened, often recurved, shorter than or equaling the culms, the sheaths densely lanate, 4-10 cm. high, thickened, striate ; inflorescence a single terminal, obovate spikelet 7-10 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, becoming broader at maturity by expansion of the perianth-like outer involucral bracts ; scales lanceolate, rigid, long-cuspidate, lanate-fimbriate ; mature achenes obovate to pyriform, obtusely trigonous, 1.5 mm. long, 1.0 mm. wide, dark brown with the low surface undulations frequently marked by transverse gray lines ; tubercle dark brown, depressed-conic ; style slender, elongate (2-3 mm. long below the style-branches) ; stamens 3, the anthers 3.0 mm. long.
Type locality : Caracas, Venezuela.
Distribution: Pinelands and dry prairies, Cuba; Panama; northern South America.