THE GENUS CAREX IN CALIFORNIA 



23 



IV. Fcetid^e Tuckerm. Rootstocks elongate, dark-colored, the culms arising singly 

 or a few together. Leaf-blades narrow. Spikes few to several, androgynous, 

 aggregated into a dense subglobose or ovoid head. Perigynia spreading, plano- 

 convex, membraneous, usually obsoletely nerved, loosely enveloping the 

 achene, rounded at base, stipitate, the beak obliquely cut, at times bidentulate. 

 Achenes lenticular. Style slender, jointed with achene, deciduous. Stigmas 2. 



5. C. vernacula Bailey. (Fig. 4.) Rootstocks creeping, lignescent, the 

 culms in small clumps 1-2 dm. high, usually exceeding leaves, smooth; leaf-blades 

 5-12 cm. long, 2-4 mm. wide, stiff; head very dense, orbicular, about 1 cm. in dia- 

 meter, the spikes not distinguishable, the staminate flowers 

 inconspicuous; scales ovate, brown, sharp-pointed, rather 

 wider and from shorter to longer than perigynia; perigynia 

 ovoid, 3.5-4 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, scarcely inflated, not 

 margined, rounded and short stipitate at base, more or less 

 nerved, tapering into the smooth bidentate beak Yz length 

 of body. 



Type Locality: "Mountains from Colorado and 

 Wyoming westward." 



Alpine slopes from Washington to California and 

 east to Wyoming and Colorado. In California it extends 

 from Mt. Whitney north in the Sierra Nevada, and also 

 occurs in the northeastern part of the state. 



Locs.: Ebbets Pass, Brewer 2066; Summit Camp, Kellogg; 

 Big Trees, Calaveras Co., Hillebrarvl 2304; Tulare Co., Hall & Babcock 

 5545; Modoc Co., Manning 433; Mt. Goddard, Hall <fc Chandler 694 

 Mt. Silliman, Dudley 1491; Mineral King, Dudley 1605; Glacier Lake 

 Dudley 1702; Kaweah River, Dudley 1396, 3327; Kaweah Peaks 

 Dud'ey 2134; Kennedy Lake, A. L. Grant 539; Stanislaus Peak, A. L 

 Grant 534; Summit Valley, Prinale 490; Butte Co., R. M. Austin 1159 

 Mt. Whitney, Vernon Bailey 2067. 



Refs.: Carex vernacula Bailey, Bull. Torr. Club 20: 417 

 (1S93). "C. faetida All." W. Boott in 8. Wats. Bot. Cal. 2: 232 (1880). 

 "C. incurva Lightf." Bailey, Contiib. U. S. Nat. Herb. 4: 214 (1893). 

 C. faetida All. var. fi. vernacula, Kuk. in Engler, Pflzr. 420 : 115 (1909). 



V. Divis.*: Christ. Rootstocks long-creeping, dark- 

 colored, tough, the culms arising singly or in small 

 clumps at intervals, mostly stiff, dark-tinged at base, 

 aphyllopodic. Leaf-blades narrow. Spikes few to 

 many, ovoid or oblong, androgynous or dioecious, 

 more or less closely aggregated into an oblong or 

 oblong-ovoid head. Heads in some species dioecious 

 or nearly so. Lower one to several bracts developed, 

 short-prolonged, the others bract-like. Perigynia ap- 



pressed-ascending, plano-convex, smooth, often shining, coriaceous, more or 

 less nerved on outer and nerved or nerveless on inner surface, sharp-edged but 

 not wing-margined, rounded and spongy at base, the obliquely cut beak in age 

 bidentulate. Achenes lenticular, closely enveloped. Style slender, jointed with 

 achene, deciduous. Stigmas 2. 



Fig. 4. Carex vernacula 

 Bailey. 



a, inflorescence, X 1; 6, 



scale, X 8; c, perigynium, 



X 8. 



