536 



MONOECIA TRIANDRIA 



with one or two male florets at the summit, and some frequently intermln- 

 eled with the fertile. Bracteal leaves very small. Scales oblong lanceo- 

 late very acute, excepting the midrib membranaceous. Stamens three. 

 Corolla of the fertile floret at first shorter than the scale, increasing with 

 age, becoming long, tapering, nerved, very slightly serrulate along the mar- 

 gins, somewhat contracted at the summit of the seed, two-cleft at the sum- 

 mit. Stigmas two, very long. Seed oval, compressed. 



The male florets in this species appear to grow very irregularly; they are 

 sometimes on the summh 6f the spikes, and sometimes occupy near the 

 whole of one of the middle spikes. A specimen resembling this very much 

 was sent me by Dr. Muhlenberg as the C. Paniculata, but the C. Paniculata 

 of Europe is certainly distinct. 



Grows in swamps and damp soils. 



Flowers March — April; one of our earliest species. 



*## Spicis sexu dis' 



*** Sterile andfer- 



tinctis; spica mascula | tile spikes distinct; 



rile spike solitary. 



ste 



soli tar la. 



19. CiESPITOSA. 



Lin. 



C. spicis foemineis 



cylindraceis, obtusis 

 sublernis, distantibus, 



9 



Fertile spikes cylin- 

 drical, obtuse, general- 

 ly 3, distant, the lowest 



infima brevissime pe- [ on a very short pedun 



fruit ovate, ob- 



than the 



dunculata; 



fructibus \ cle; 



ovatis,/)btusis, squama tuse, 

 oblonga obtusa majori- i oblong 



larger 



obtuse scale; 



bus; fbliis patulis. 



leaves expanding 



Sp. pl.^. p. 287. Muhl. Gram. p. 264. Nutt. 2. p. 204. 



Stem slender, triquetrous, striate, twelve to eighteen inches high. ^^^^ 

 linear, acute, scabrous along the margin, as long as the stem. Sterile *P 

 one to two; fertile alternate, nearly sessile, long, slender, three to j 

 sometimes bearing sterile florets at the summit. Scale li"^^"^ ''*°*^^*? „„' 

 dark coloured with a green midrib. Capsule oblong. Bracteal leaves lo ^^ 



Grows in boggy, turfy soils. Carolina, Dr. Schweinitz. 



Flowers — 



20. Crimta. 



C. 



^. .,,.... masculis I Sterile spikes 2, fer 

 geminis, foemineis qua- | tile 4, distant,* peaun- 



spicis 



