21 
Carex vulpinoidea Michx, and allied Species, 
By E, P. BICKNELL. 
A careful study of Carex vulpinoidea Michx., continued from 
the field into the herbarium, has made it plain to me that this 
Species, as accepted, is a composite one, embracing at least three 
or four distinct plants on our eastern seaboard alone. One of 
these plants is an old species, here revived—the Carex setacea of 
Dewey, which I am satisfied should never have been discredited y 
it will be recalled that it was endorsed by Dr. Torrey. The other 
two seem never to have been distinguished, and reference to all 
the citations. in the published synonomy of C. vulpinoidea dis- 
covers no name applicable to either. 
CAREX VULPINOIDEA Michx. 
Culm 11%4°-214° tall ( 1°-3° ), sharp-angled, very scabrous on 
the angles above, or throughout, leafy. Leaves long and _nar- 
rowly attenuate, mostly exceeding the culm, 1°-2° long, 1/-2”, 
sometimes 214" wide, often somewhat appressed and crowded. 
Head at maturity greenish or dull brown, narrow, commonly 134’ 
-3’ long, 2-3” wide, the spikelets below either in contiguous or 
Separated compound clusters or in short, appressed or ascending 
densely-flowered branches which often appear like oblong or linear 
spikes ; larger spikelets narrowly oblong, the smaller subglobose. 
Small forms of. the plant show the spikes aggregated into linear 
heads only 114/-2’ long; in more attenuate forms the heads may 
be much interrupted and elongated, even slender and inclined, 
reaching a length of six inches, the lower branches an. inch or 
more distant on the rachis. Occasionally in stout forms the head 
1s much congested throughout and 4’-6” wide; rarely it is looser 
and bears at the base closely compound ascending branches an 
inch in length. Ail the clusters of the head are subtended by se- 
taceous, often flexuous bracts, the lowermost usually well-devel- 
oped and elongated, even 8’ long. Perigynia very small, numer- 
ous, loosely spreading, the conspicuous points often somewhat 
recurved, at maturity greenish or pale brown, sometimes yellowish- 
brown, membranous, flattish, mostly distinctly few-n ‘rved on the © oe 
Outer face, frequently nerveless on inner face, ovate, often from a di- ag 
lated or sub-cordate base, acuminate into a mostly slender, smooth co 
to serrulate-hispid, sharply-toothed beak which usually equals or 
nearly equals the body of the perigynium; body of perigynium 
¥"'—3¢’ long and wide, more or less corky in the margins basally _ 
Or at the sides. Achene broadly ovate-oblong, small, 4" or less ; 
long. Scales small, whitish with a green keel, becoming pal 
apna 
