CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE GRAY HERBARIUM OF 

 HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 



New Series. — No. XXII. 



By M. L. Fernald. 



Presented May 8, 1901. Received January 31, 1902. 



I. — THE NORTHEASTERN CARICES OF THE SECTION 



HYPARRHENAE. 



The Carices of Koch's subgenus Vigneae, with its sections Acroar- 

 rhenae and Hi/parrhenae of Fries, have always perplexed the systematist, 

 and by the general student they have as a rule been ignored or vaguely 

 referred to such characteristic species as Carex straminea or C. 

 echinata. Recently, however, the generally widening interest in sys- 

 tematic botany has brought together in Carex, as in other groups, a 

 large mass of material ; and an attempt to identify these specimens has 

 made it necessary to study in great detail the minuter but tolerably con- 

 stant characteristics of the fruiting plants. 



In general, the classification of Carices has always been based upon 

 characters in the inflorescence ; and although the detailed study of the 

 perigynia (or utriculi) has been the final resort of the specialist, an 

 attempt has been made in our manuals to separate species as much as 

 possible upon the more obvious characters of the inflorescence. Thus 

 Carex scoparia is described in the two current manuals as having the 

 spikelets (spikes) " all contiguous or bunched " or " usually aggre- 

 gated ; " while in oidy one of these works is Boott's var. minor 

 given recognition, and there as a mere dwarf variety. Yet in plants 

 which are undoubtedly C. scoparia the spikelets are often scattered, 

 forming a loose moniliform spike ; and the northern plant described by 

 Boott as var. minor has a distinct range and unique habitat, while its 

 minute thick-bodied perigynia distinguish it at a glance from the more 

 southern species with which it has been associated. 



The case of Carex scoparia is only one of many in which the attempt 

 to rely upon superficial characteristics has led us to confuse plants 



