CYPERACE^. (sedge FAMILY.) 551 



the 3-uerved keel; nut (bluish) obovate, obtuse, wrinkled. — Dry sandy soil, 

 Florida to North Carolina. August - Sept. 



6. I. Warei, Torr. Culms filiform (1°-1J° high), smooth, 3-angled, 

 much longer than the bristle-form hispid leaves ; sheaths bearded at the 

 throat with long silky hairs ; leaves of the involucre rigid, twice as long as 

 the head, orbicular and cut-fringed at the base ; spikes 8 - 10 in a head, ovate, 

 many-llowered ; scales ovate, mucronate, many-nerved ; nut obovate, obtusely 

 angled, obscurely wrinkled. — Dry sands near the coast, Florida. Sept. — 

 Heads ^' in diameter. 



13. ABILDGAARDIA, Vahl. 



Spikes many-flowered. Scales imbricated in 2 or (by the twisting of the 

 rachis) 3 rows, keeled, decurrent on the rachis, deciduous. Perianth none. 

 Stamens 1-3. Style 3-cleft, tumid at the base, deciduous. Nut 3-angled. — 

 Culms joiutless, leafy at the base. Spikes solitary, clustered or umbelled. 



l.'A. monostaehya, Vahl. Culms fQiform, tufted (6'- 10' high); 

 leases shorter than the culm, filiform, obtuse, concave ; spikes solitary (rarely 

 by pairs), ovate, acute, compressed, 8- 12-flowered, much longer than the 

 bract-like mucronate 1-leaved involucre; scales broadly ovate, acute or mu- 

 cronate, compressed-keeled, with broad and white margius; stamens 3 ; nut 

 somewhat pear-shaped, 3-angled, warty, yellowish white. — South Florida 

 {Dr. BlodgeLt). 



14. RHYNCHOSPORA, Vahl. Beak Rush. 



Spikes 1 - several-flowered. Scales imbricated in few rows, the lowest 

 empty, the upper usually bearing imperfect flowers. Perianth of 3-6 (rarely 

 12-20) hispid or plumose bristles, occasionally wanting. Stamens mostly 3. 

 Style 2-cleft Nut lenticular or globose, crowned with the dilated and persist- 

 ent base of the style (tubercled). Perennials, with jointed and leafy culms. 

 Spikes small, disposed in axillary and terminal' corymbs or clusters. 



§ 1. Erioch^ete. — Bi-istles of the perianth 6, plumose. 



1. R. plumosa, Ell. Culms (6' -12' high) and leaves filiform; spikes 

 few, in about tliree small clusters at the summit of the culm ; nut nearly glob- 

 ular, strongly wrinkled, pointed with the short ovate smooth tubercle ; bris- 

 tles rather longer than the nut, plumose throughout or nearly to the summit. 

 — Low pine barrens, Florida to North Carolina. June-Jul3^ 



Var. intermedia. Culms taller (1°- 2° high); leaves narrowly linear ; 

 clusters 4-6, forming an interrupted spike at the summit of the culm; nut 

 obovate, pointed with the conical-beaked pubescent tubercle ; bristles plumose 

 only at the base, or below the middle. — Sandy pine barrens, often in dry 

 places, Florida. 



2. R. semiplumosa, Cray. Cnlms erect, rigid (l°-2° high); leaves 

 narrowly linear ; spikes oblong-ovate, dark brown, crowded in a terminal 

 head, or rarely in a remote axillary one ; mit g]ol)ose-obovate, faintly wrinkled, 

 pointed with the short broadly conical smooth tubercle ; bristles exceedirg 



