C YPERA CA E. 221 



Spikes separated or the upper close together; perigynia mostly radiating, or reflexed. 

 Leaves 1-3 mm. wide. 



Beak of the perigynium one-fourth to one-half as long as the body; native 

 woodland species. 



Perigynia ovate-lanceolate, 2-3 mm. long. 



Perigynia stellately radiating. 165. C. rosea. 



Perigynia reflexed when mature. 166. C. retroflexa. 



Perigynia narrowly lanceolate, 3-4 mm. long. 167. C. lexensis. 

 Beak of the perigynium more than half as long as the body; introduced 



field species. 168. C. muricata. 



Leaves 5-9 mm. wide. 169. C. sparganioides, 



Spikes all aggregated or the lower separated; perigynia spreading or ascending. 

 Leaves thin, lax, 4-8 mm. wide; perigynia about 4 mm. long: 



170. C. cephaloidea. 

 Leaves stiffer, 1-4 mm. wide. 



Perigynia 2 mm. long or less, nerveless or faintly few-nerved. 



Leaves 2-4 mm. wide; perigynia ovate 171. C. cephalophora. 



Leaves 1-2 mm. wide; perigynia orbicular-ovate; southern. 



172. C. Leavenworthii. 

 Perigynia 3 mm. long, strongly-nerved (except in var. Xalapensis}. 



173. C. Muhlenbergii. 



164. Carex tenella Schk. SOFT-LEAVED SEDGE. (I. F. f. 834.) Light 

 green; rootstocks slender; culms almost filiform, rough, 1.5-5 dm. l n g- Leaves 

 soft, about i mm. wide, spreading; spikes only 1-5 -flowered; perigynia ovoid- 

 ellipsoid, nearly terete, hard, finely many-nerved, about 2 mm. long, with a 

 very minute entire beak; scales ovate, hyaline, acute. In bogs, Newf. to Br. Col., 

 N. J., Penn., Mich., N. Mex. and Cal. Also in Europe. June-July. 



Carex Ele6charis Bailey. A very slender erect species, with 2 or 3 small brown 

 i-3-flowered spikes aggregated in a terminal head, 3-4 mm. long, ovoid, slightly swollen 

 marginless plano-convex short-beaked perigynia. Collected by Prof. Macoun on the 

 Saskatchewan Plains; probably occurs within the northwestern limits of our area. 



165. Carex rosea Schk. STELLATE SEDGE. (I. F. f. 835.) Culms slender 

 or filiform, rough above, 3-7 dm. long. Leaves flat, soft, 2 mm. wide or less, 

 shorter than the culm; lower bract 1-6 cm. long; spikes 4-8, subglobose, 4-6 mm. 

 in diameter, 5-15 -flowered; perigynia ovate-lanceolate, flat, bright green, stellately 

 diverging, nerveless, shining, 2-3 mm. long, tapering into a stout 2-toothed beak, 

 about one-fourth the length of the body ; scales ovate-oblong, white, half as long as 

 the perigynia. In woods and thickets, Newf. to Ont., Manitoba, N. Car., Mo. 

 and Neb. May-July. 



Carex r6sea radi&ta Dewey. Culms filiform, spreading ; leaves about i mm. wide ; 

 spikes only 2-6- flowered, scattered ; perigynia ascending, lanceolate, about i mm. wide. 

 Me. and Ont. to Mich., N. Car. and Ky. 



1 66. Carex retroflexa Muhl. REFLEXED SEDGE. (I. F. f. 836.) Culms 

 very slender, 2-5 dm. tall. Leaves about i mm. in width, mostly shorter than the 

 culm; lower bract bristle-form; spikes 4-8, subglobose, 4-9-flowered, the upper all 

 close together; staminate flowers terminal or rarely variously intermixed with tne 

 pistillate; perigynia oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, radiating or reflexed at 

 maturity, about 3 mm. long, smooth, compressed, but not as flat as those of the 

 preceding species, somewhat corky-thickened at the base, tapering upwardly into 

 a 2-toothed beak about one-third the length of the body; scales ovate, about half 

 as long as the perigynia. In woods and thickets, Mass, to Ont., Mich., Ark., Fla. 

 and Tex. May July. 



167. Carex Texensis (Torr.) Bailey. TEXAS SEDGE. (I. F. f. 837.) 

 Similar to the preceding; culms very slender. Leaves soft, about i mm. wide, 

 shorter than the culm; lower bract commonly filiform; spikes 4 7, 410- flowered; 

 all close together in a narrow head, or the lower separated; perigynia narrowly 

 lanceolate, green, nerveless, smooth, radiating or widely spreading, 3-4 mm. 

 long, the tapering beak about one-half as long as the body; scales lanceolate or 

 ovate, acute or acuminate, less than one-half as long as the perigynia. S. 111. 

 (according to Bailey), Ala. to Tex. April-May. 



