r m ^ y r ■ -I 



iiiT "-,ir^ V ~^c 



CLARKE — THE CYPERACEAE OF COSTA RICA. 469 



2 to 4 luiii. wide, 16 to 20-striate, glabrous except as to the margin, this minutely 

 scabrous; iniloresceneo appearing as if simply spieatOj 3 to 5 em. long, of G to 9 pale 

 brownisli spikes; lowest bract setaceoiiSj sonK^limes short, sometimes 4 to 5 em. long; 

 spikes approximate, or a trifle distant, the very lowest one rarely 3 vm. distant from 

 the others, most of them G to 12 mm. long, ellipsoid, some of \ho upper pistillate on<^s 

 istaminate at base, the terminal one rarely a1togeth(T staminate, nt^ver pistillate at 

 base and staminate at apex; glume of the jnslillate shorter than the utricle, oyatc, 

 s<-areely acute, 1-nerved, brownish; styh; bifid, shorter than the utricle; utricle 3 to 

 3.5 mm. long, including the beak^ plano-convex^ ellipsoid, its beak oblong-eonieal, 

 compressed, shorter than th(? body; utricle herbaceous, smooth, subsessilcj glabrous, 

 9-nerved on the convex face, 3 to 5-n(Tved on the plane; margins smooth, at length 

 incurved; beak on the plane face hardly bidentate, on the other cleft to the base, 

 and its margins when young almost winged, when inaturc minutely and rigidly scab- 

 rous; nut ovuid-ellipsoid, compressed, nt^arly filling the utricle. 



Distiuhution: Taiupico (Berlandier, 529); in Xew Granada and Venezuela, at 



2,500 mc^ters, freciueut ; Costa Kica. 



Costa Ricax collections: Poas, altitude 2,500 meters, Pitticr 324, 29S0, 2983, 

 Tondnz 10759; Cerro de las Vtudtas, altitude 3,000 meters, Fittier 10510; Cerro do 

 Buena Vista, near the summit, altitude 3,300 meters, Piltier 3376. 



2. Carex pichinchensis TI. V*. K. Xov. G<'n, <fe Sp. 1: 233. 

 Carc^ Jt^m Boott, Trans. Linn. Soc. 20: 122. 184G. 

 Carex sachapafa Lechler, Berb(T. Am. Austr. 50. 1857, 

 Carex fu scant ra Boeckl. Linnai^a 40: 378. 187G. 



Of medium size or stoutish; l<^av(^s 5 to 10 mm. wide, bent^alh densely glandulor* 

 puherulent; spikes 5 to 30, cylindrical, 2 to 5 cm. long, dark chrst nut-colored, at 

 the very summit staminate; pistillat(; glunn^ lanceolate, obtuse, much exceeding the 

 utricle; style bifid; utricle 2.5 to 3 nmi. Inng, ellipsoid, compressed, smooth, glab- 

 rous, rather obscurely or obsoh^tely ntTved; beak one-fourih lo one-third the length 

 of the body of the utricle, short-cylindric, the margin eillK^r sparingly or liispidly 

 Bcabrous, on the plan(^ face scarcely divided at apex and pilose-ciliate, on the other 



deeply cleft. 



Distiubution: Western tro])ical America, very common. 



Costa Rican collections: Poas, altitude 2,500 meters, rUtier 331, 2981, 2082; 

 Cerro de las Vueltas, altitude 3,000 meters, rUlicr 10520; Cerro de la Mut^rte, alti- 

 tude 3,100 meters, PiUiei^ 10454; Cerro de Buena Vista, altitude 3,300 meters, Pittier 



3381. 



Nut occasionally deformed. See C. H. Clarke" on this species as perhaps recently 



deriv(^<l from C. jamesonii, Boott. 



3. Carex jamesoni T^oott, Trans. Liiui. Soc. 20: 124, 1840. 



Rather robust, leaves 5 to 10 mm. broad, beneath closely beset with minute glands; 

 spikes 5 to 8 cm. long, linear, cliestnut-brown, pistillate at the very base, staminate 

 at "apex; pistillate glume lanceolate, equaling the utricle; style 3-fitl; utricle 3 mm, 

 long, including the bt^ak, narrowly ellipsoid, trigonous, smooth, glabrous, striate; 

 beak half as long as the body, bidr^ntate, hanlly scabrous; nut triquetrous, som(4ime8 



deformed. 



Distribution: Mexico (Ga?-^ofa 5763); Costa Rica; v(^ry common in western tropi- 

 cal South America. 



Costa Ricax collectioxs: El Copey, altitude 1,800 meters, Tond}!Z 111^21; Poas, 



altitude 2,050 mt-ters, Tondnz 10757; Rarba, altitude 2,750 meters, PUiier 303. 



4. Carex pittierl 15oef kl. Allgem. l^»ot. Zeitschr. 2: lyO. lS9(k 



A meter high, leaves 5 to 10 mm. wide, b(^neath densely gland ulnr-puberulent; 

 innorescence 40 to 50 cm. loiig, paniculate, of about 40 tawny-brownish spikes, these 



"Proc. Linn. Soc. 1895-96: 25, 26, 1S9G. 



