greenish midvein, reddish-brown-tinged; perigynia 2-3 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide, 

 obovoid, many-nerved, yellowish-green, tapering at base, abruptly beaked; beak 

 minutely bidentate, reddish-tinged; achenes trigonous, obovoid, 1.3 mm. long, 

 0.9 mm. wide, black and glossy at maturity. 



Marshes and bogs, on border of streams, ponds and lakes in N.M. (Otero Co.); 

 Nfld. to Alas., s. to N.J., Ind., Colo., N.M. and Calif. 



74. Carex oxylepis T. & H. Fig. 281. 



Loosely tufted perennial or with short purplish-black scaly rhizomes 2-3 mm. 

 thick; culms 4-7 dm. long, 1-2 mm. thick, erect, basally with reduced blades and 

 purplish-black sheaths; cauline leaves 2.5-6 mm. broad, pale-green, erect; spikes 

 usually 4 per culm; terminal spike gynecandrous, on a slender nodding peduncle 

 2-4 cm. long, 2-5 cm. long, with a short terminal pistillate portion and a long 

 staminate portion about 2 mm. thick, with lanceolate hyaline stramineous scales; 

 other spikes pistillate, with slender nodding or flexuous peduncles usually only 

 2-4 cm. long, 4-5 mm. thick, with 20 to 44 ascending perigynia which are close 

 enough to overlap (except occasionally the lowermost); lower bract with definite 

 sheath and a long blade 1-3 mm. broad, almost equaling the uppermost spike, the 

 higher bracts progressively much-reduced; scales hyaline, ovate, long-subulate- 

 cuspidate, about three fourths as long as the perigynia; perigynia fusiform-ellipsoid, 

 in transection nearly round when fresh or obtusely triangular after drying. 3.5-4 

 mm. long, green, membranous, inflated, with 6 to 8 slender nerves (2 stronger 

 than the rest), basally and apically tapered, with a beak 0.2-0.3 mm. long and a 

 nearly entire orifice; achene triangular with concave sides, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. 

 wide, apiculate, jointed with the style which entirely withers after anthesis. 



In low moist rich woods near streams, wet soil along streams in Okla. (Oua- 

 chita Mts., McCurtain Co.), in e. and s.e. Tex., Mar.-Apr.; Fla., the Gulf States to 

 Tex., S.C, N.C., Tenn., Mo., Ark. and Okla. 



75. Carex blanda Dew. Fig. 282. 



Tufted perennial (rhizomes very short); culms 15-55 cm. long, ascending, 0.8- 

 1.5 mm. thick; basal sheaths brownish at base and rather loose; basal blades 4-11 

 mm. broad, the cauline ones 3-5 mm. broad, thin-membranous; upper 2 or 3 spikes 

 usually close or even overlapping, nearly sessile, the lowest (usually fourth and/or 

 fifth) spike usually widely separate and exserted on an erect filiform peduncle 2-8 

 cm. long; terminal spike staminate, 1-2 cm. long, 2-3 mm. thick, stramineous, the 

 scales acute to acuminate or cuspidate; remainder of spikes pistillate, 5-20 mm. 

 long, 4-6 mm. thick, with 4 to 20 closely set overlapping perigynia, the ovate or 

 obovate scales either mucronate (and shorter than their perigynia) or with a long 

 subulate projection (this often equaling or exceeding the perigynium) and white- 

 hyaline; bracts foliaceous, with definite sheaths (the edges of which are minutely 

 fimbriate), the blades of the bract of the third or fourth spike from the apex often 

 equaling or surpassing the staminate spike; perigynia turgidly obovoid, vaguely 

 triangular, 3-4 mm. long, closely investing the achene not only laterally but in 

 much of the apex as well, membranous, with 2 ribs and 23 to 30 nerves (much 

 more slender than the internerve spaces), basally tapering and substipitate, apically 

 rounded, abruptly very short-beaked, the beak about 0.5 mm. long and bent or 

 recurved nearly at right angles to the axis of the perigynium, the orifice hyaline 

 and entire; achenes triangular, 2.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, bent-apiculate, jointed 

 with the style which wholly withers after anthesis. 



In moist or wet woods, alluvial thickets, wet soil along rivers, in Okla. (Water- 

 fall), in e. and n.-cen. Tex., rare w. to Edwards Plateau (San Saba Co.), Apr.-May; 

 e. temp. N.A. w. to the Dakotas, Neb., Kan., Okla. and Tex. 



550 



