ENGELMANN — NORTH AM. SPECIES OP JUNCUS. 443 



before me, and that in size and form these seeds, as well as 

 the flowers, anthers and capsules, are intermediate between 

 those of the supposed parents, while the number of stamens 

 is that of /. ejfusus. The panicle is remarkably compact, 

 and consists of 10-15 secondary branches of nearly equal length. 



7. J. effusus, Lin., is found from Maine to the Rio Grande 

 and to the Pacific, but is wanting in some districts. It has 

 altcays three stamens, the small anthers of which are of 

 nearly equal length with the filaments. The most prominent 

 and very constant character consists in the number of sta- 

 mens and in the obovate or even clavate, upwards almost 

 tricoccous, retuse capsule ; seeds apiculate and finely lineolate. 



8. J. patens, E. Mey. Syn. Luzul. p. 28; Rel. Hamk. 1. 

 141; Kunth. En. 8, 318; J. compressus, E. Mey. Syn. June, 

 p. 16, non H. B. K. This very distinct species seems not to 

 have fallen under the observation of botanists since about 

 seventy years ago Hamke discovered it near Monterey, Cal., 

 until Mr. Bolander and Prof. Brewer again obtained it near 

 San Francisco and in the Santa Lucia mountains of that 

 State. Meyer's description in Rel. Haenk. 1. c. is so complete 

 that very little can be added. I find, however, the densely 

 cespitose, slender, but wiry stems, not compressed hut terete, 

 and distinctly striate ; they are 15 inches to "2.\ and 3 feet 

 high including the spathe, which has a length of 3 or 4. to 8 

 or 10 inches ; their base is enclosed by elongated sheaths, 

 brownish-red below and greenish straw-colored upwards, 

 tipped with a conspicuous awn; the panicle, 1-2 inches long, 

 consists of 3-5 larger branches, with the ultimate brauchlets 

 one-sided, spreading, or recurved, whence the specific name. 

 The flowers are not quite as large as those of J. JBalticus, 

 and much lighter colored ; sepals lanceolate, acute, exterior 

 ones subulate at tip, equalling, or slightly exceeding, the inner 

 ones, spreading in fruit ; stamens about half the length of the 

 sepals, and anthers nearly equal to the filaments ; ovary with 

 the short style about the length of the stigmas. The sub- 

 globose, mucronate capsule, a little shorter than the sepals, 

 opens with septifragal dehiscence, the three placenta? with 

 their membranaceous wings, remnants of the dissepiments, 

 remaining in the center. The very numerous seeds are ovate, 

 obtuse, usually oblique, obliquely apiculate, delicately lineo- 

 late, 0.22-0.30 lines long. 



9. J. filiformis, Lin., which was formerly often taken for 

 J. setaceus by American botanists, extends from Oneida lake 

 in western New York to the White Mountains in New 

 Hampshire, and to Maine, is common in Lower Canada and 

 in the Hudson Bay region, and has also been found from the 

 northern Rocky Mountains to the Cascade Mountains. The 



[May, 1866.] 29 



