76 MONOECIA—TRIANDRIA. Carex. 



Herb floating, about half the size of the last, of a pale transparent 

 green, with nearly flat, or slightly channelled, leaves, not trian- 

 gular at the base.' Globules of feriWe Jlowers 2 or 3, alternate, 

 the lowermost stalked } the barren one terminal, mostly soli- 

 tary. Cal. pale green. Stigma solitary, very short, ovate, pel- 

 tate, oblique, on a short thick style. Seed solitary. 



The form of the stigma clearly distinguishes this species. 



427. CAREX. Carex, or Sedge. 



Linn. Gen. 4S2. Juss.26. Fl. Br. 963. Br. Pr. 241. Dill. Gen. 



165. t. 14. Mich. Gen. 66. t. 33. Lam. t. 752. Gartn. t.2. 

 Cyperoides. Tourn. t. 300. Mich. Gen. 55. t. 32. 



Nat. Ord. Calamaria. Linn. 3. Q/peroidece. Juss. 9. Q//J^- 

 racea. DeCand. 134. Br. Pr. 212. 



Barr. f. numerous, aggregate, in one or more, oblong, 

 dense catkins, their scales imbricated every way. Cal. a 

 sinole, lanceolate, undivided, permanent scale to each 

 floret. Cor. none. Filavi. 3, rarely fewer, capillary, erect 

 or drooping, longer than the scales. Ajith. vertical, 

 long, linear, of 2 cells. 



Fert.Jl. numerous, in the same, or more usually in a dif- 

 ferent catkiii, very rarely on a separate plant. Cal. 

 as in the barren fl. Cor. a single, hollow, compressed, 

 ribbed, often angular, permanent glume to each floret; 

 contracted, mostly cloven, and often elongated at the 

 extremity. Genn. superior, roundish, with 3, rarely but 

 2, angles, very smooth. St;i/le 1, terminal, cylindrical, 

 short. Stigm. 3, more rarely 2 only, awl-shaped, long, 

 tapering, downy, deciduous. Seed the shape of the ger- 

 men, with unequal angles, loosely coated with the en- 

 larged, either hardened or membranous, permanent 

 corolla, both together constituting the fruit. 



A very extensive genus of the true Calamarice, distinguished 

 from all the rest, as from every one of the Gramina, see 

 V. 1. 49 and 71, by the presence of a single-valved, 

 tumid, finally enlarged or hardened, glume, loosely in- 

 vesting the seed, about the proper denomination of which 

 botanists are not well agreed. I have hitherto called it 

 a Umic {arillus) as apparently belonging to the seed ; for 

 an arillus may exist without a seed-vessel. But Mr. 

 Brown's having met with it in some barren florets of 

 Carex acuta, unaccompanied by any pistil, invalidates 

 this opinion ; see his Prodr. v. 1. 242; and I have now 



