32. Carex aurea Nutt. 



Perennial with extensive rhizomes several cm. long and 1 mm. thick; culms 

 often weak and reclining basally, distally ascending, 7-20 cm. long, 0.5-0.8 mm. 

 thick; leaves few, clustered basally; blades 15-25 cm. long and about 2 mm. broad, 

 often surpassing the inflorescence; inflorescence of a terminal staminate spike 

 and 2 or 3 subterminal weakly ascending peduncled (peduncle of lowest filiform 

 one 1-2 cm. long, of upper ones shorter) lax pistillate spikes about 1 cm. long; 

 bract of lowest spike leaflike, 3-10 cm. long, those of the higher spikes smaller; 

 scales hyaline, minute, much smaller than their perigynia; perigynia 5 to 8 per 

 spike, broadly ovate, plano-convex or lenticular, 2-2.5 mm. long, basally slightly 

 narrowed, apically rounded, quite beakless, with a number of faint veins (2 of 

 them less faint than the rest), membranous (when fresh somewhat succulent or 

 baccate and translucent but drying firm, opaque in specimens), orange (in dried 

 specimens rich-dark-brown); achene not quite filling the top of the perigynium 

 (at least in dried specimens) but laterally filling it, lenticular, 1.5 mm. long, 1.3 

 mm. wide, ovate, minutely apiculate, dark-brown, jointed with the style. 



Rare in seepy areas on shaded hillsides, and on edge of water of streams and 

 ponds, in the Tex. Plains Country (Randall Co., Ceta Canyon), N.M. (Taos 

 Co.) and Ariz. (Apache and Coconino cos.), June; temp. N.A., s. to Conn., 

 Mich, and Neb. and at moderate elev. to Tex., N.M., Ut., Nev. and Calif. 



33. Carex crinita Lam. 



Tufted essentially glabrous perennial with branching scaly brownish rhizomes 

 2-4 mm. thick; culms 6-12 dm. long, 2.5-5 mm. thick basally; basal sheaths dark 

 brown, bladeless; blades of cauline leaves 5-11 mm. broad; spikes 4 or 5 per culm, 

 overlapping, mostly nodding; terminal spike staminate, 3-5 cm. long, 2-3 mm. 

 thick; subterminal spikes androgynous and progressively longer-peduncled down- 

 ward; lowest spike essentially all pistillate or with only a very small terminal 

 staminate portion, 4-9 cm. long, 5-10 mm. thick (including the scale cusps), 

 with 75 to 130 close ascending perigynia, the scales with hyaline oblong bodies 

 shorter than the perigynia but with the midnerve elongated into a spreading cusp 

 surpassing the perigynium; bract of lowest spike sheathless, erect and usually 

 much-surpassing the terminal spike, the higher bracts progressively reduced: 

 perigynia obovate, 3-3.5 mm. long, biconvex, membranous, somewhat inflated, 

 with 2 strong marginal nerves and a few vanishingly faint ones, stramineous to 

 brownish, basally tapered, apically rounded or tapered and giving away abruptly to 

 the minute tubular beak with entire orifice; achene biconvex, only half filling the 

 perigynium, 1.5 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide, apiculate, jointed with the 2-branchcd 

 style which entirely withers after anthesis. Incl. var. MitchcUiana (M.A. Curtis) 

 Gl. and var. brevicrinis Fern. 



Infrequent in wet places, usually in water, e. Tex. (Cass, Wood, Gregg and 

 Morris cos.), May-June; e. N.A. w. to Man., Minn., Mo. and Tex. 



34. Carex senta Boott. Fig. 265. 



Cespitose from long stout horizontal rhizomes; culms rather slender but stiff, 

 3-10 dm. high, sharply triangular and roughened on the angles, exceeding the 

 leaves, brownish or reddish-brown at the base, the dried leaves of the previous 

 year conspicuous; leaves 4 to 8 to a culm, septate-nodulose, clustered near the 

 base, flat, channeled toward the base, the margins revolute toward the apex, 3-5 

 mm. wide, the lower reduced, the upper much longer, papillate, ciliate-serrulate; 

 sheaths hirsutulous, the lower breaking and becoming filamcntose, the ligule 

 longer than wide and acuminate; staminate spikes 2 or 3, somewhat scattered, 

 the terminal peduncled, 3-4.5 cm. long, 5 mm. wide, the lateral sessile, often 

 vvith a few perigynia at the base; pistillate spikes 1 or 2, remote or approximate, 



518 



