90 Rhodora [May 
Plant rather large and stout, 6-13 dm. high or possibly more: 
culms rigid, faintly many-striate, 2-3.5 mm. in diameter at the top 
of the sheaths: sheaths chocolate-brown or castaneous at base or 
throughout and dull, chartaceous; the uppermost pale or dark toward 
the summit, 6-15 cm. long, the edges much overlapping nearly or 
quite to the sub-truncate or emarginate tip, the veins strongly con- 
verging at the summit: involucre 6-20 em. long: inflorescence usually 
loosely fastigiate, rarely more spreading, 2.5- 15 em. long: sepals 2.5 
3.5 mm. long, rather soft, scarc ely longer than the petals; midrib pale 
greenish-brown, not very broad nor bordered by dark bands, but with 
pale-brownish scarious margins: petals similar: capsule about equal- 
ing the sepals, olive-brown, obtuse or slightly retuse, slightly apiculate. 
— Typical specimens examined: British CotumBiA: Barclay Sound, 
Vancouver Island, August 2, 1887, J. Macoun, no. 27,848; vicinity 
of Victoria, Vancouver Island, July 21, 1893, J. Macoun, no. 512; 
Burrard Inlet, July 27, 1889, J. Macoun, no. 27,849; vicinity of 
Nanaimo, July 6, 1908, J. Macoun, no. 78,078. WASHINGTON: 
Seattle, June 23, 1889, C. V. Piper, no. 1029; Union Lake, King 
County, August 5, 1890, W. N. Suksdorf, no. 1010; Waitsburg, 
July 31, 1897, R. M. Horner. OnEGoN: Calapooya Valley, Douglas 
County, alt. 3500 ft. July 17, 1899, M. A. Barber, no. 109; Wilamette 
Heights, Portland, July 7 and August 24, 1902, E. P. Sheldon, no. 
10,832 (type in Gray Herb.). CarrronNia: Mariposa Big ‘Trees, 
July, 1866, Bolander; near Ukiah, Mendocino County, July 9, 1902, 
A. A. Heller, no. 5838; San Ysabel, San Diego County, June 20, 1903, 
Leroy Abrams, no. 3783; Fredalba, San Bernardino Mts., July 22, 
1902, Leroy Abrams, no. 2797. 
Rather easily recognized by the peculiar summit of the upper sheath 
and the fastigiate inflorescence. In some respects it seems interme- 
diate between the var. brunneus and the eastern var. solutus. From 
the former it differs especially in the two characters mentioned above 
and also in the much paler flowers; from var. solutus it may be recog- 
nized by the same two characters and the less rigid perianth. The 
only other form with similar fastigiate inflorescence is the very slender 
small-flowered var. exiguus. 
Var. solutus n. var., caulibus crassis pallide viridibus 6-17 dm. altis, 
2-4.5 mm. diametro plerumque mollibus obscure multi-striatis; cata- 
phyllis basilariis laxis basi fulvis, supremis membranaceis ad apicem 
fulvis vel stramineis interdum utrinque fuscis 9-28 em. longis; inflores- 
centia laxis saepe diffusissimis 4-14 cm. diametro; bractea infima 
1-4 dm. longa; sepalis 2.7-3.3 mm. longis subrigidis subappressis 
quam petalas vix longioribus subconcoloribus, dorso viridescentibus 
vel fulvis; maginibus angustis scariosis; petalis similibus; capsulis 
fulvis vel fulvo-viridibus paulo retusis perianthium aequantibus vel 
paulo superantibus. 
