THE GENUS CAREX IN CALIFORNIA 49 



Type Locality: Devils Basin, El Dorado Co., California (Brainerd 200). 

 Sierra Nevada, known only from Sierra and El Dorado Cos. 



Locs.: Devils Basin, El Dorado Co., Brainerd 200; Webber Lake, Sierra Co., Kennedy & 

 Dolen 70; Sierra Nevada, Brandegee; Tallac, El Dorado Co., Dudley. 



Ref.: Carex paucifructus Mackenzie, Bull. Torr. Club 43: 615 (1917). 



XIII. Canescentes Fries. Cespitose, but in some species with slender stolons. 

 Culms triangular. Sheaths not cross-rugulose. Spikes 1-10, with few to many 

 perigynia, simple, the terminal gynaecandrous, the lateral pistillate or gynaecand- 

 rous, or rarely all androgynous. Bracts inconspicuous. Perigynia piano- or bi- 

 convex, white puncticulate, lanceolate, ovoid, oval or obovoid, appressed to 

 spreading, beakless to prominently beaked, more or less nerved on both sides, 

 not winged or margined, but acute-angled above, nearly or entirely filled by 

 the lenticular achene. Style jointed with achene, deciduous, slender, its base 

 not enlarged. Stigmas 2. 



56. C. disperma Dewey. In large clumps, the rootstocks sending out long 

 slender stolons; culms very weak, 1.5-6 dm. high, rough above, exceeding leaves; 

 leaf-blades 1-1.5 mm. wide, flat, flaccid, deep green; spikes distant or upper aggregated 

 in a terminal inflorescence 1.5-2.5 cm. long, with 1-5 ascending perigynia and 1-2 

 staminate flowers; bracts wanting or lower slightly developed; scales shorter than 

 perigynia, ovate-triangular, sharp pointed, hyaline with green midvein; perigynia 

 ovoid-elliptic, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, flattened suborbicular in cross-section, 

 smooth, light green, not margined, finely nerved, rounded and slightly stipitate at 

 base, rounded and abruptly beaked at apex, the minute beak smooth, 0.25 mm. 

 long, hyaline at orifice. 



Type Locality: Massachusetts (Dewey). 



Boggy woods, Newfoundland to Alaska, south to New Jersey, Indiana, New 

 Mexico and California; also northern Eurasia. In California it has been collected 

 only at a few stations in the southern Sierra Nevada. 



Locs.: Bishop Creek, Inyo Co., Davidson 2545; Walker Lake, Mono Co., Congdon; Lemrnon 

 489, no data (probably Butterfly Valley); Kern River, Tulare Co., Coville & Fujiston 1697. 



Refs.: Carex disperma Dewey, Am. Jour. Soi. 8: 266 (1824). C. tenella Schk., Riedgr. 1: 

 23, pi. Pp. f. 104 (1801), not Thuill. 1799 (Schkuhr guessed the type came from Saxony); W. Boott 

 in S. Wats. Bot. Cal. 2: 235 (1880); Kuk. in Engler, Pflzr. 420 : 223 (1909). C. Blyttii Nylander, Spicil. 

 PI. Fenn. 2: 35 (1846), type from Finland. 



57. C. canescens L. (Fig. 22). Cespitose, in large clumps, the culms erect, 

 slender, 2.5-8 dm. high, roughened immediately beneath head, mostly exceeding 

 the leaves; leaf -blades glaucous, flat, 2-4 mm. wide; spikes 4-9, the lower remote 

 (sometimes but little), 3-12 mm. long, 3-5 mm. 

 wide; lowest bract more or less developed; scales 0. 

 shorter than perigynia, ovate, sharp pointed, 

 hyaline with green keel; perigynia appressed- 

 ascending, 1.8-2.8 mm. long, 1-1.8 mm. wide, 

 membranaceous, pale green, white puncticulate, 

 faintly few nerved, rounded, short-stipitate and 

 spongy at base, minutely beaked, the beak with 

 margins minutely serrulate and orifice emargin- 

 ate or entire; achene filling perigynium. 



Type Locality: "Habitat in Europa 

 septentrionali." Fig. 22. Carex canescens L.. 



Swamps and bogs, Labrador to Alaska a ' inflores c " e pe C r e i'gyniurn, 6 x S 8 Cale ' X 8; 

 south to Virginia and California; also Eurasia, 



South America and Australia. In California it is confined to the higher Sierra 

 Nevada, where it is known from Tulare Co. north to Placer Co. (The illustration 

 represents var. dubia Bailey.) 



