en the Britifh Species of Carex. 155 
- 
riorem bractea bafi ovata, fuperné in foliolum fetaceum longiufcu- 
lum definens—ad caeteras, braétea ovata fub-aphylla. Squamæ 
fufcæ, ovatæ, acutæ, capfulas æquantes, nervo carinali concolore. - 
Cap/ula oblonga, acuminata, ore divifo, hinc plana, illinc convexiuf- 
cula lateribus (oculo bene armato), membrana fub-lacerà f. ferru- 
lata marginatis. Filamenta & antheræ ut in cæteris. Stylus ftigma- 
- tibus duobus. 
The name dificha (which by no means correfponds with its 
growth) being applied to this plant, has occafioned its being not 
well known: Pollich revolts at the idea, and calls it /picata. Mr. 
Lyons obferves, that the {pike is vix difficha. As the leading cha- 
racter in this Carex is its having generally the intermediate fpiculæ 
almoft entirely male, I have ventured to apply a name which has 
immediate refpect to this uncommon circumftance. : 
The C. intermedia and arenaria approach fo nearly to each 
other, that I fcarcely know what to make of the defcriptions which 
{fome authors have given of them—I apprehend that they have 
trufted too much to their place of growth: no dependance can be 
placed on that matter. Although C. intermedia does not grow in 
fand, yet it is by no means unufual to find arenaria in meadows by 
the fea-fide. Mr. Lightfoot had not a correét notion of intermedia 
(his dficha), for he fays it differs from C. arenaria by not having a 
creeping root, whereas in fact no Carex is more ftrongly endowed 
with this injurious quality. Po//ic/s defcription is not accurate, for 
he takes no notice of the female terminal fpikelet. Leers, always 
accurate, rightly attends to this prominent feature: no one can 
miftake his figure. 
Some of the fpiculæ in this fpecies, and in arenaria, being purely 
male, and others female, would almoft juftify the clafling of them 
amongft thofe fexu difiincias—but it is not conftant enough to war- 
LT rant 
