pistillate, cylindric, the lowest 3-5 cm. long, 14-22 mm. thick (including beaks), 

 with 30 to 65 close spreading perigynia; bracts sheathing, foliaceous, that of the 

 lowest spike far-exceeding the inflorescence; the lanceolate scales acute or acumi- 

 nate and about half to three fourths as long as the perigynia; perigynia 12-15 mm. 

 long, the body about three eighths the total length, ovoid, crusty-membranous, 

 inflated, olive-stramineous, with 14 to 17 slender nerves, basally rounded, apically 

 acuminate and passing into the long subulate bidentate beak; achene about as 

 broad as or usually broader than long, rhombic-triangular with very prominent 

 angles each with a pronounced knob near the middle, about 2 mm. long, 2.5 mm. 

 wide, apically continuous with the violently looped style whose persistent lower 

 part texturally resembles the achene. 



In wooded swamps, alluvial floodplain woods, in and about ponds, lakes and 

 pools, in Okla. (Waterfall) and e. and s.e. Tex. (Harris and Polk cos.), May- 

 July; lowlands of s.e. U.S. n. to Del., Ky., Ind., Mo. and Okla. 



56. Carex leptalea Wahl. Fig. 275. 



Perennial with creeping scaly rhizomes 0.5-1 mm. thick; culms in tight tufts 

 along the rhizome, 1-4 dm. long, 0.5-1 mm. thick, erect; sheath venters broadly 

 hyaline, splitting lengthwise; blades narrower than their sheaths, 0.5-1 mm. broad, 

 shorter than to occasionally equaling the culms; inflorescence a solitary androgy- 

 nous spike 5-18 mm. long and 2-3 mm. thick; scales red-dotted, those of the 

 staminate flowers with edges connate on lower part; bract absent; perigynia com- 

 pressed-triangular in transection, almost flat (flat in prepared specimens, appearing 

 2-edged), oblong-elliptic, 3.9-5 mm. long, 1 to 10 per spike, appearing to be 

 tristichous. the lower ones maturing first and falling early in succession (with 

 their scales!), appressed-erect, membranous, many-nerved, the upper part empty, 

 basally spongy, substipitate, beakless, apically rounded; achenes triangular with 

 concave sides, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, apically truncate, jointed with the 

 flexuous style which all withers away after anthesis. Incl. var. Harperi (Fern.) 

 Stone. 



In sphagnum areas, bogs, marshes and wet meadows, in e. and s.e. Tex. 

 (Anderson, Angelina, Hardin, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Shelby and Tyler 

 COS.) and N. M. (Taos Co.), Apr.-early June; e. temp. N.A. s. and w. to n. 

 Calif., Colo., N.M. and Tex. 



57. Carex nigromarginata Schwein. var. floridana (Schwein.) Kiikenth. 



Tufted perennial, often with scaly slender rhizomes; culms 4-20 cm. long, 

 0.3-0.5 mm. thick; leaves largely clustered near the base; lowest sheaths of the 

 new shoots bladeless; blades 8-30 cm. long, far-exceeding the culms, 2-2.5 mm. 

 broad; inflorescence subcapitate, 9-12 mm. long, 3-7 mm. thick, composed of one 

 terminal staminate spike and a few subterminal sessile ascending-appressed 

 pistillate ones so closely placed that they overlap for most of their lengths; bracts 

 of lowest spike 6-9 mm. long, foliaceous, those of rest of spikes smaller; scales 

 about as long as the perigynia and mostly concealing them, often with a faint 

 purplish marginal zone, otherwise thin-membranous; perigynia 5 to 12 per spike, 

 ascending-appressed, about 3.3 mm. long, the bodies narrowly obovate and about 

 2.8 mm. long, vaguely triangular in transection (the inner "angle" blunt), long- 

 tapered basally (at the extreme base discolored), apically narrowed, minutely 

 pubescent, with 2 prominent veins; membranous; beak about 0.5 mm. long, 

 oblique or minutely bidentate; achene completely filling the upper part of the 

 body of the perigynium, in transection with 2 definitely small angles and one 

 ventral indefinite blunt one, with convex sides, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, 

 apiculate, jointed with the style which completely withers after anthesis. 



537 



