or less strongly ^eduncled, 1-4 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide; pistillate spikes 3 to 5, 

 approximate or slightly separate, erect, the lower short-peduncled, the upper 

 sessile or subsessile, linear-cylindric, often attenuate at the base, 1.5-3.5 cm. long, 

 about 4.5 mm. wide, the numerous perigynia appressed-ascending; lowest bract 

 leaflike, much-exceeding the inflorescence, usually sheathless or nearly so, the 

 upper reduced, auriculate; scales oblong-ovate, obtuse or somewhat acute, dark- 

 reddish-brown with narrow hyaline margins and a broad lighter usually one-nerved 

 center not extending to the apex, narrower and shorter than to equaling the 

 perigynia; perigynia early-deciduous, ovate, flattened-biconvex, sharply 2-edged, 

 1.5-3 mm. long, 1.25 mm. wide, light-green, granular, membranaceous, 2-ribbed, 

 truncate at the slenderly stipitate base, rounded at the abruptly apiculate-beaked 

 apex, the beak 0.1-0.25 mm. long, entire, usually conspicuously black-tipped; 

 achenes lenticular, suborbicular, about 1 mm. long, blackish, granular, substipi- 

 tate, abruptly short-apiculate. 



On rocky lake margins, wet banks and in moist to marshy meadows, in Ariz. 

 (Coconino Co.); Alta. to Colo, and Ariz., w. to Alas, and Calif. 



37. Carex nebraskensis Dewey. Fig. 266. 



Cespitose with long stout horizontal rhizomes; culms 2-10 dm. tall, papillate, 

 sharply triangular, roughened or smooth above; leaf blades pale-green, 3-8 mm. 

 wide, flat, the lower sheaths usually prominently septate-nodulose; terminal 

 staminate spike 1.5-4 cm. long, 3-6 mm. wide, often with 1 or 2 smaller ones 

 near its base, the lateral ones sessile or short-peduncled; pistillate spikes 2 to 4, 

 erect, the upper one sessile or nearly so, the lower ones short- or long-peduncled, 

 all contiguous or the lower ones somewhat separate, oblong to cylindric, 1.5-5 cm. 

 long, 5-9 mm. wide; lowest bract leaflike, not sheathing, often dark- or light- 

 auricled, varying from extending slightly beyond to not reaching the tip of the 

 inflorescence; scales lanceolate, obtusish to acute or acuminate, narrower than 

 and from shorter than to longer than perigynia, purplish or brownish-black with 

 lighter center and often with narrower hyaline margins; perigynia flattened, ob- 

 long-ovate to broadly ovate or obovate, 3-3.5 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, strongly 

 many-ribbed on both faces, greenish to straw-colored or brownish at maturity, 

 abruptly apiculate at apex, the beak often dark-tipped; achenes lenticular, nearly 

 orbicular, 1.5 mm. long. 



In mud along sloughs, streams and in seepage areas, wet meadows and marshes, 

 in N.M. (Taos and Rio Arriba cos.) and Ariz. (Apache, Coconino and Mohave 

 cos.); S.D. to B.C., s. to Kan., N.M., Ariz, and Calif. 



38. Carex stricta Lam. 



Perennial in large tufts, with slender easily detached rhizomes; culms 3-8 dm. 

 long, 1-2 mm. thick basally, the basal sheaths chestnut-black; juncture of sheath 

 and blade V-shaped; spikes usually 4 per culm, overlapping or occasionally the 

 lowermost slightly remote: uppermost spike erect and usually entirely staminate, 

 2-4 cm. long, 2.5-4 mm. thick, buffy-brown; subterminal spikes usually sessile, 

 androgynous and slightly nodding (at maturity); lower spikes usually almost en- 

 tirely pistillate, 2-4 cm. long, 3-4 mm. thick, with 45 to 65 overlapping ascend- 

 ing perigynia (borne in elegant rows) and brownish oblong blunt scales with 

 paler mid-nerve and slightly shorter than their perigynia to which they are closely 

 appressed; bracts sheathless, that of the lowest spike often attaining the uppermost 

 spike in length, those of higher spikes progressively drastically reduced; perigynia 

 ovate, flattened (biconvex), 2.5-3 mm. long, olivaceous, with 2 strong (marginal) 

 nerves and a few vanishingly obscure ones, firm-membranous, basally rounded, 

 shortly tapered to an essentially beakless or minutely beaked apex, the orifice 

 essentially entire; stigmas 2; achene lenticular, only about half filling the perigyn- 



521 



