ENGELMANN — NORTH AM. SPECIES OF JUNCUS. 481 



geographical range. Their compressed or ancipitous stems 

 usually come from a creeping rhizoma, and bear laterally 

 compressed, or averse, eqnitant leaves, which in the larger 

 forms resemble greatly those of Sisyrinchiicm and other 

 iridaceons plants, and which are very imperfectly septate 

 or articulate; their sheath sometimes terminates with two 

 auriculae or stipular appendages, or frequently, and in the 

 same species, imperceptibly runs out into the edge of the leaf. 

 The flowers, always pedicelled, are brown, mostly deep chest- 

 nut, rarely greenish or paler, and are arranged in few or many- 

 flowered heads ; in many species we find forms with single 

 or few large heads in clusters, and others with numerous 

 small heads disposed in compound panicles. The sepals are 

 mostly broad, the outer ones acute or acuminate, the inner 

 ones often shorter and obtuse, rarely longer, often variable 

 even in flowers of the same head. The number of stamens 

 also varies in the same species. The style is distinct, either 

 short, or sometimes very long. The mucronate capsule is 

 about as long or rarely longer than the calyx, nearly one- 

 celled. Seeds reticulate, with smoothish or lineolate area?. 

 They inhabit the western slope of North America and extend 

 to the Asiatic side of the Pacific. 



48. J. xiphioides, E. Meyer, Syn. June. 50 et Rel. Haenk. 

 1,143; Kunth, 1. c. 331 : caulibus (1-4-pedalibus) e rhizo- 

 mate crasso repente erectis ancipitibus; capitulis panci- vel 

 multifloris paucis plurimisve ; floribus pedicellatis ; sepalis 

 lanceolatis subulato-acuminatis sequalibus seu interioribus 

 obtusioribus brevioribus stamina 6 seu raro (in var. e) 3 fere 

 duplo superantibus capsulam prismnticam acutam mucrona- 

 tam hinc rostratam plerumque sequantibus ; antheris oblongo- 

 linearibus filamentum fere nequantibus ; ovario ovato in sty- ■ 

 lum breviorem attenuato, stigmatibus subexsertis ; seminibus 

 ovato-oblanceolatis utrumque apiculatis lineolato-reticulatis. 



Var. a. littoralis: caulibus robustis elatis (2-4-pedalibus); 

 foliis latis iridaceis, vaginis stepius inappendiculatis ; paniculae 

 ssepe supradecompositre capitulis panci- vel pluri-(3-20)floris 

 e stramineo fuscis ; sepalis subrequilongis capsula acuta seu 

 rostrata vix brevioribus; antheris saepe apiculatis filamento 

 paulo longioribus; seminibus oblanceolatis. — J. xiphioides, 

 Mey. 1. c. 



Var. 3. auratus : caulibus gracilibus elatis (3-pedalibus ul- 

 tra) ; vaginis in folia latiora sensim excurrentibus ; panicuh-c 

 supradecompositcG capitulis pauci-(5-10)floris stramineis ni- 

 tentibus ; sepalis requilongis capsula rostrata brevioribus ; 

 seminibus ut supra. 



Var. y. montanus : caulibus humilioribus (spithameis ses- 

 quipedalibus); foliis angustioribus basi plerumque auriculatis; 

 capitulis panci- (3-1 0)floris pallulioribus pluribus paniculatis 



