42 THE BRITISH CAREX FRIGIDA. 



sometimes obtuse at the tip. The glumes of the female spikelet are 

 very variable in both plants, and almost defy discrimination, but 

 those of C. frtgida All. are longer and narrower on the whole. 



The perigynia of C. frtgida Syme are i-i in. in length when 

 mature, usually about ^ in. or less, narrowly oval-lanceolate, tri- 

 gonous, with several faint nerves and two more distinct greenish 

 ones on or very near the two lateral angles ; the beaks under a lov^ 

 power appear smooth. The perigynia of C.fr'ujida All. are i-J in. 

 long, a trifle more or a trifle less, but commonly i in. or a little 

 more, lanceolate, trigonous, with few faint nerves, and the two 

 lateral nerves often indistinct and concolorous, but at times green 

 and evident ; the beak under the same low power scabrid on its 

 edges, and often appearing ciliate from the length of the serru- 

 lations. 



The nut of C. frigida Syme is substipitate, J^ in. in length 

 including the very short stipe (which measures about Jp in. in 

 length), trigonous, oval-oblong, narrowed to the base, or it might 

 be described as oblong-obovoid, obtuse above ; the base of the style 

 is very commonly twice bent or at least waved, the upper part above 

 the bend being erect. In C. frigida All. the nut is long-stipitate, 

 1 in. long including the stipe, or -^^ in. long without it, oval-oblong, 

 compressed trigonous, narrowed rapidly above to a subobtuse 

 point and more gradually below to the slender stipe, which measures 

 about 2U in. Style straight from the base. 



SetUng on one side the differences between the male spike and 

 the perigynia of the two plants now compared, as being distinctions 

 more open to discussion, there remain two characters of unmistak- 

 able importance, which are fully sufficient for my argument. A 

 Carex is usually either tiifted, increasing so slowly as to form no 

 fresh plant, but remaining one single tuft or tussock after several 

 years ; or it is stoloniferous, sending out underground suckers 

 which bear a barren rosette of leaves the first year, to become rooted 

 detached plants as time goes on. My observations of the growing 

 plant, which was still one dense tuft in the Edinburgh Botanic 

 Gardens after several years, and is entirely without elongate stolons 

 in my own garden, prove that C. frigida Syme is of the former sort. 

 An examination of forty herbarium specimens which have the root- 

 stock fairly represented give the proof that Koch's description 

 [" radice stolonifera'') is correct; thirty-six of them showed part of 

 an old stolon broken off or decayed at the end, or else a new stolon 

 more or less developed. The absence of stolon from the other four 

 specimens proves nothing ; as an inspection of a set of herbarium 

 specimens of any other stolouiferous Carex (like C. fulva Good., 

 C. teretiuscula Good., or even C. arenaria L.) would show. 



The fruit distinction is equally decisive against the identification 

 of 0. frigida Syme with C. frigida Allioni. The nuts of allied 

 Carices are usually somewhat alike ; and in the same species there 

 is a remarkable uniformity of shape, size, and colouring of this part 

 of the plant ; so much so that any marked difference in the nut is 

 almost bound to point to specific difference. I have examined for 

 the purpose of this comparison the fruit of a large number of speci- 



