CAREX RIGIDA AND ITS VARIETIES. 171 



Lastma Filix-mas Presl., var. abbreviata Bab. Grey Mare's 

 Tail, Moffat Water (72). 



Lycopodium annotinum L. On Little Craigindal (92), where it 

 fruits freely. Elsewhere we have found it generally barren, or 

 nearly so. 



Chara fragilis Desv., var. barbata Gant. Peaty pools, Braemar 

 (92). Name determined for us by Messrs. Groves. 



CAREX RIGIDA Gooden. AND ITS VABIETIES. 

 By Prof. L. H. Bailey. 



Mr. Arthur Bennett's appreciative review of my paper on the 

 " Types of Carex " in this Journal for 1889 (p. 330), calls for some 

 remarks and explanations concerning G. hyperborea, C. vulgaris, C. 

 rigida, &c. Mr. Bennett is puzzled to know what becomes of the 

 Scottish plant which has been called C. rigida var. inferalpina 

 Laest., inasmuch as I referred the var. inferalpina of Laestadius to 

 C. vulgaris var. hyperborea. I am unable to throw any light upon 

 the question, as I have not seen the Scottish plant ; but the G. 

 rigida var. inferalpina at Copenhagen, which I saw, is the same as 

 Drejer's G. hyperborea. It is evident, however, that the plant 

 which I examined at Copenbagen is not Laestadius's type, for 

 Laestadius described his plant as G. saxatilis var. inferalpina. But 

 the specimen is undoubtedly authentic. 



Mr. Bennett writes: — "The confusion with C. hyperborea has 

 been great ; the true plant is only given as Faroen and Icelandic 

 by Nyman; but Drejer, in his 'Kevisio' (1841), says, 'Lapponia, 

 Laestad. ! in herb. Hornem.' " But Drejer says more than this. 

 He credits the plant to Greenland, Faroes, and Lapland. I have 

 seen Drejer's types at Copenhagen, and they are the same as the 

 American plants from Mt. Wasbiugton and northward, which have 

 been referred to the same species. In fact, I have before me, as I 

 write, a good sheet of Vahl's collection in Greenland, in 1830, a 

 part, as I suppose, of the very specimens upon which Drejer 

 founded C. hyperborea, and I also have specimens obtained in 

 Greenland by Bosenvinge in 1888 ; all of these are clearly the 

 same as the American plant. My object in comparing these plants 

 with the American is to confirm the correctness of Boott's refer- 

 ence of Drejer's G. hyperborea to the species represented by the 

 name G. vulgaris. There is so gradual a blending of types from 

 the top of Mt. Washington, where C. hyperborea grows, to the 

 adjacent sea-coast, where C. vulgaris is common, that there can be 

 no doubt as to the specific identity of the two plants. But tbe 

 same thing may be observed in Northern Europe. 



" In one instance Prof. Bailey is not consistent, i. e., in retain- 

 ing C. vulgaris Fr., for G. Goodenovii Gay, which name is certainly 

 three years anterior to that of Fries." This criticism is perfectly 

 just ; but the difficulty extends beyond these two names, and if 

 reform is to be undertaken it must begin fifty years farther back. 



