16 Rhodora [JANUARY 
mature the wooly inflorescence is of a dull brown color with little or 
no suggestion of terra-cotta or reddish. The sheaths of the involucels 
are generally a sepia or dark brown, and of the involucre a slightly 
paler tint. ‘The raylets of the umbel are much less drooping than in S. 
Eriophorum, often very stiff and ascending, and the spikelets are all 
sessile in glomerules. In New England this species matures its fruit in 
late August and early September. The two extreme forms described 
as varieties condensatus and Andrewsit of S. Eriophorum, have their 
affinities much more with the northern S. cyperinus. 
The other species, first definitely called to the attention of the 
author by Dr. Wiegand, proves to be abundant in the Connecticut Val- 
ley, and from there westward to Michigan and Wisconsin. It is essen- 
tially as stout as S. cyperinus, but in color the mature inflorescence is a 
pale yellowish brown, and the rays and raylets of the extremely dicho- 
tomous umbel are more slender and flexuous. ‘The ultimate involucels 
with brown, not terra-cotta sheaths, bear small umbels of from 2 to 
5 spikelets, the central spikelets sessile, the others on slender pedi- 
cels. Thus in habit this northern plant with yellowish-brown inflores- 
cence somewhat resembles the stouter southern terra-cotta colored .5. 
Eriophorum. In addition to its difference of color and stoutness, the 
northern plant has shorter bristles, 5. mm. long, those of the southern 
plant averaging 7. mm. long. 
In Virginia Scirpus Eriophorum is mature in September, but its 
northern representative with the pale yellowish-brown wool is fully ma- 
ture in New England and New York in late July and early August. 
The following forms of this group are now recognized in New 
. England. 
SCIRPUS CYPERINUS, Kunth, Enum. ii. 170. S. Eriophorum, Michx., 
var. cyperinus, Gray, Man. ed. 2, 5or ; Fernald, Proc. Am. Acad. xxxiv. 
501.— Common throughout, mature in late August and early Sep- 
tember. 
S. CYPERINUS, var. condensatus. S. Eriophorum, var. condensatus, 
Fernald, l.c. — Same range as species but less common. 
S. cYPERINUS, var. Andrewsii. S. Eriophorum, var. Andrewsit, 
Fernald, lc. — Originally from Southington, Connecticut: recently 
collected at East Middlebury, Vermont, Sept. rr, 1899 (Esra 
Brainerd ). 
S. pedicellatus. Tall (1.8 m. or less in height) and stout (culm, 
just below the involucre, 2 to 4 mm. in diameter): leaves o.5 to 
: cm. wide: inflorescence resembling that of S. Eriophorum, with 
more slender unequal rays, but with none of the primary umbellules 
