398 THE SEA SHORE 



very long. The only British species of the genus are the two 

 (S. stricta and S. alternifoUa) referred to above. They both grow 

 to a height of about eighteen inches, and flower in late summer. 

 In the former the spikes number two or three, and are longer than 

 'the leaves ; and the outer glume is hairy, with a single nerve. The 

 latter, which is the rarer of the two, bears several spikes, shorter 

 than the leaves ; and the outer glume has five nerves. 



Certain of the sedges (order Cyperacece) are also more or less 

 familiar to the sea-side naturalist, and must therefore receive a 

 small share of our attention. In general terms these are grasslike, 

 rnonpcotyledonous plants, the stems of which are solid, jointed, 

 and frequently angular. The leaves are very similar to those of 

 grasses, except that the sheaths, which surround the stem, are not 

 split. The flowers are generally arranged in a spike, overlapping 

 each other, and each one supported on a scale-like bract. In some 

 sedges the flowers are perfect, each one possessing both stamens and 

 pistil ; but in some species the flowers are unisexual, some bearing 

 stamens and no pistil, and others pistil only. The stamens are 

 generally three in number, the ovary is superior, and the stigmas 

 either two or three. 



Sedges abound in moist places, some being peculiar to salt 

 marshes, while others grows on sandy shores ; and a few of the 

 British species of the latter habitat are often so abundant that their 

 creeping roots bind the sand together, effectually holding it in place 

 while the surrounding portions of the beach are mercilessly driven 

 by the wind. 



A few of the sea-side sedges belong to the genus Carex, in which 

 the flowers are imperfect, and the fruit is enclosed in the outer 

 parts of the flower. C. extensa thrives in salt marshes, growing to 

 a height of a foot or more, and flowering about midsummer. Its 

 fertile flowers form oblong erect spikelets, while the barren spikelets 

 are solitary. The bracts are long and leafy, with short sheaths sur- 

 rounding the stem. The leaves are curved in at the edges, and 

 the fruit is oval and ribbed, with a short straight beak. 



On sandy shores the Sea Sedge (C. arenarid) is often common, 

 and its underground stems are used for sarsaparilla. It is a 

 perennial species, growing to a height of about nine inches, 

 and flowering in June and July. The flowers grow in an oblong inter- 

 rupted spike, the upper spikelets being barren, and the intermediate 

 ones barren at the tip. The fruit is oval, veined, and winged. 



Another species of this genus the Curved Sedge (C. incurva) 



