22 
dull brown or sometimes yellowish-brown, little noticeable in the 
spikelet excepting their awns which, though not usually conspicu- 
ous, are evident and, with their spreading points of the perigynia, 
give the heads a sharply roughened appearance. 
In low grounds and meadows, and along ditches, often grow- 
ing in dense tufts. Canada to Florida and Texas, west at least to 
Minnesota and Kansas. 
CAREX XANTHOCARPA 0. Sp. 
Culm longer and often stouter than in C. valpinoidea, 1 ¥%4°-4° 
tall (1°-5°), much exceeding the leaves, scabrous on the angles 
above, very smoothand bluntly triangular or even subterete below. 
Leaves fewer and less crowded and appressed than in wvzlpinoidea, 
mostly under 1° long, rarely 1%°, 1%4’-3”” wide. Head early 
yellowish or tawny, narrowly oblong, sometimes ovoid, mostly 
dense and uninterrupted, 34’-214’ long, 3/’-6” wide, the spikes 
closely glomerate-subcompound throughout, or the lowermost 
more distinctly compound and looser, but not separated, forming 
ovoid, somewhat spreading clusters. Bracts mostly short and in- 
conspicuous, the lowermost not often noticeably developed. 
Spikes plump, ovoid, densely many-flowered, the perigynia ascend- 
ing, often slightly incurved, finally somewhat spreading, becoming” 
bright yellow, markedly plano-convex and narrowly sharp edged, 
mostly ovate-elliptic from a cuneate pointed base, or sub-rhom- 
boidal (those low in the spikes sometimes with a broader, more 
abrupt base), nearly beakless, or graduated into a short, very 
rough-margined, minutely two-toothed beak. Walls of the perigyn- 
ium thickish and subcoriaceous, but not corky-thickened in the 
margins, either nerveless or obscurely few-nerved on the some- 
what turgid outer face, often with a median ridge on the flat 
inner face; body of perigynium about twice as large as in vudpi- 
noidea, i" or more long, 1” or less wide. Achene broadly oblong, 
about 4%” long. Scales longer than in vulpinoidea, but shorter 
awned, early becoming bright tawny or yellowish-brown and very 
noticeable in the spikes. 
Scarcely tufted, growing in low fields or in open levels on 
higher ground. 
In the cover of C. vulpinoidea in the Columbia Herbarium, I 
find specimens as follows: 
Cambridge, Mass., 1845, E. Tuckerman, Jun. 
Ohio, Sullivant. 
The plant is common at New York and is unmistakable when 
once it is understood. Not infrequently it is found growing with — 
C. vulpinoidea, from which it is clearly distinct. gee oe 
