CYPERACEAE. 189 



longer than the scales. Greenland to the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Also in 

 Europe and Asia, Summer. 



19. UNCINIA Pers. 



Culms erect, leafy, or the leaves all basal. Spike simple, erect, terminal, the 

 scales imbricated, I- flowered, the lower pistillate, the upper staminate. Scales 

 ovate or oblong, concave, not keeled, obtuse or the lower acute. Stamens 3, rarely 

 I or 2. Pistil enclosed in a utricle (perigynium), borne at the base of a slender 

 axis, which is usually exserted beyond the orifice of the perigynium, at least in 

 fruit, and sometimes hooked. Stigrnas mostly 3. Achene 3-angled. [Latin, 

 referring to the hooked axis of the southern species. ] About 30 species, all but the 

 following natives of the southern hemisphere. 



I. Uncinia microglochin (Wahl.) Spreng. NORTHERN UNCINIA. (I. F. f. 

 670.) Perennial by short stolons; culms very slender, weak, 1-3 dm. long. Leaves 

 1-2 mm. wide, much shorter than the culm; spike 8-16 mm. long, usually pistil- 

 late for more than one-half its length; scales oblong-lanceolate, I -nerved, decidu- 

 ous; perigynia narrowly lanceolate, 6-8 mm. long, less than I mm. thick, reflexed 

 in fruit; achene oblong, obtusely 3-angled, much shorter than the perigynium; 

 axis of the pistillate flower bristle-like, long-exserted beyond the orifice of the peri- 

 gynium. Greenland to James Bay and Br. Col. Also in the arctic and mountain- 

 ous parts of Europe and Asia and at the Strait of Magellan. Summer. 



20. CAREX L. 



Grass-like sedges, perennial by rootstocks. Culms mostly 3-angled. Leaves 3- 

 ranked, the upper elongated or very short (bracts) and subtending the spikes of 

 flowers, or wanting. Flowers monoecious or dioecious, solitary in the axils of 

 bracts (scales). Spikes either wholly pistillate, wholly staminate, or bearing both 

 staminate and pistillate flowers (androgynous). Perianth none. Staminate flowers 

 of 3 stamens, the filaments filiform. Pistillate flowers of a single pistil with a style 

 and 2 or 3 stigmas, borne on a very short axis in the axil of a sac-like bractlet or 

 second bract called the perigynium (utricle), which completely encloses the achene. 

 Achene 3-angled, lenticular or plano-convex. A vast genus, of more than 1000 

 species, widely distributed, most abundant in the temperate zones. Besides the 

 following about an equal number occur in the western and southern parts of N. A. 

 Specimens can only be satisfactorily determined when nearly or quite mature. 



I. Staminate flowers numerous, in one or more terminal spikes, which are some- 

 times pistillate at the base or summit; or the spike solitary and the staminate flowers 

 uppermost or basal, rarely dioecious ; stigmas mostly 3 and the achene 3-angled or 

 swollen (stigmas 2 and the achene lenticular or compressed in nos. 12-16; 49-59; 

 67-72) pistillate spikes stalked or sessile, the lower commonly stalked. Nos. 1-142. 

 EUCAREX. 



A. Perigynia mostly long-beaked, 3-20 mm. long, often inflated, the beak usually 

 as long as the body or longer (short-beaked in Nos. 11-16, 34 and 35); pistillate spikes 

 mostly large (small in nos. i, 13 and 14), globose, ovoid, oblong or cylindric. Nos. 

 1-35- 



Perigynia membranous or papery. Nos. 1-31. 



Spike solitary, few-flowered, staminate above; perigynia strongly reflexed, subulate. 



PAUCIFLORAE. [p. 190.] i. C. pauciflora. 



Spikes normally several, the staminate uppermost ; if solitary, staminate at the base. 

 (See no. 30.) Nos. 2-31, 



Perigynia ovoid, conic with a narrowed base, or subulate, tapering into the 



beak. Nos. 2-28. 

 Teeth of the perigynium-beak slender, short or none, not stiff nor awned. 



Nos. 2-24. 

 Teeth of the perigynium-beak lanceolate or subulate. Nos. 2-10. LUPU- 



LINAE. [p. 191.] 

 Teeth of the perigynium-beak short or almost wanting (long in No. 17) nos. 



11-24. VESICARIAE. [p. 192.] 

 Teeth of the perigynium-beak stiff, setaceous or awned. Nos. 25-28. 



PSEUDOCYPERAE. [p. 195.] 



Perigynia obovoid, very abruptly contracted into the beak; spikes exceedingly 



dense. Nos. 29-31. SQUARROSAE. [p. 196.] 

 Perigynia firm, hard or leathery. Nos. 32-35. PALUDOSAE. [p. 196.] 



