224 Rhodora [November 



with C. varia, Muhl. The latter species is abundant in Rhode 

 Island ; but in Bennett's Plants of Rhode Island only the former is 

 listed. Since C. albicans (C. Emmons ii, var. elliptica) is a plant of 

 the interior calcareous districts, its report from Rhode Island was 

 presumably a mistake for the common C. varia of the coastal regions. 



Carex /lava. Six marked forms of C. flava and C. Oederi occur 

 in New England, and all these forms are identified with well known 

 Old World varieties. At present, however, the group is in need of 

 critical revision, impossible to accomplish satisfactorily in American 

 herbaria ; and until the American forms can be properly examined 

 in the light of authentic European material they have been roughly 

 classified into 



C. flava, L. Beak as long as the body of the perigynium, often 

 becoming bent or retrorse, at least at maturity, 



Var. Oederi, Lilj. Beak distinctly shorter than the body of the 

 perigynium, straight or scarcely bent, ascending or horizontally 

 spreading, hardly retrorse. 



It is hoped that a more satisfactory treatment of the forms can 

 soon be made. 



Carex Goodotowii, Gay, Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. 2, xi. 191 (C. vulgaris, 

 Fries, Nov. Mant. iii. 153. C. rigida, var. Goodenovii, Bailey in 

 Gray, Man. ed. 6, 735 c), a plant of the coastal plain, presents many 

 forms from 0.5 to 9 dm. high, with pistillate spikelets from 0.5 to 7 

 cm. long. Field-study shows these extremes to be largely due to 

 conditions of soil and exposure and to merit no separation into 

 varieties. This species primarily of the coastal regions has the 

 perigynia faintly nerved below, and its leaves (rarely 3 mm. broad) 

 are involute at the margin in drying. (See note on C. rigida.) 



Carex limosa was reported in Bennett's Plants of Rhode Island 

 from Johnston and Quidnessett. No Johnston material is preserved 

 in the Bennett herbarium ; but the Quidnessett specimen labelled C. 

 limosa proves to be C, Jiliformis. 



Dr. P. A. Rydberg has recently proposed the name Carex praticola 

 (1900) to replace C. pratensis, Drejer (1841), because of the earlier 

 C. pratensis, Hose (1797) ; and in a recent treatment 1 of the plant I 

 have followed Dr. Rydberg. Upon more recent study, however, I 

 am unable to find references to Hose's species by European caricol- 

 ogists, and until that is more clearly shown to be a valid species it is 



1 Proc. Am. Acad, xxxvii. No. 17,471 (1902). 



