———— 
ee a 
’ 
——— 
— 
or less persistent on the rachis of the spikelet after the 
SEDGE FAMILY. 255 
1g. Eleocharis ténuis (Willd.) Schultes. Slender Spike-rush. (Fig. 595.) 
Scirpus tenuis Willd. Enum. 1: 76. 1809. /\ Bp [\ 
Eleocharis tenuis Schultes, Mant. 2:92. 1824. \ ¥ / Y 
Perennial by rootstocks, culms tufted, filiform, 
mostly erect, 4-angled with concave sides, 8/—16/ tall. 
Upper sheath obliquely truncate, toothed on one 
side; spikelet narrowly oblong, mostly acute, many- 
flowered, thicker than the culm, 3/’-5’” long, about 
1’ in diameter; scales thin, obovate or ovate-oblong, 
obtuse, the midvein greenish, the margins scarious; 
bristles 2-4, shorter than the achene, fugacious or 
wanting; achene obovoid, obtusely 3-angled, yellow- 
ish-brown, papillose; stamens 3; style 3-cleft; tubercle 
conic, short, acute. 
In wet soil, Cape Breton Island to Ontario and Mani- 
toba, south to Floridaand Texas. The achenes are more SS 
fall of the scales. May-July. LE <= 
20. Eleocharis acuminata (Muhl.) Nees. Flat-stemmed Spike-rush. 
(Fig. 596.) 
Scirpus acuminatus Muhl. Gram. 27. 1817. 
| 
{| let ovoid or oblong, obtuse, thicker than the culm, 
; many-flowered, 3/’-6’’ long; scales oblong or ovate- 
|! uy . lanceolate, acute or the lower obtusish, purple-brown 
with a greenish midvein and hyaline white margins, 
deciduous; bristles 1-5, shorter than or equalling the 
achene, fugacious, or wanting; stamens 3; style 3-cleft, 
exserted; achene oboyoid, very obtusely 3-angled, 
light yellowish brown, papillose, much longer than 
the depressed-conic acute tubercle. 
\ YN Eleocharis compressa Sulliv. Am. Journ. Sci. 42:50. 1842. 
\ Vz f | | Eleocharis acuminata Nees, Linnaea, 9: 294. 1835. 
Y) |\\ Perennial by stout rootstocks, similar to the pre- 
\ \ ceding species but stouter, culms flattened, striate, 
R \ " slender but rather stiff, tufted, 8’-2° tall. Upper 
\ sheath truncate, sometimes slightly 1-toothed; spike- 
\ 
{ In wet soil, Anticosti to Manitoba, south to Georgia, 
es : } Louisiana and Missouri. Achenes persistent on the 
uy, CEs EL rachis as in /. fenuis. June-Aug. 
21. Eleocharis intermédia ( Muhl.) Schultes. Matted Spike-rush. (Fig. 597.) 
Scirpus intermedius Muhl. Gram. 31. 1817. 
Eleocharis intermedia Schultes, Mant. 2:91. 1824. 
Annual, roots fibrous, culms filiform, densely 
tufted, diffusely reclining or ascending, usually 
matted, grooved, 4’-12’ long. Upper sheath ob- 
liquely truncate, toothed on one side; spikelet 
ovoid-oblong, acute, 8—20-flowered, thicker than 
the culm; scales oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or the 
upper subacute, light purple-brown with a green 
midvein, tardily deciduous or the lower one per- 
sistent; bristles persistent, downwardly barbed, 
longer than the achene and tubercle; stamens 3; 
style 3-cleft; achene 3-angled, obovoid, light brown, 
finely reticulated; tubercle conic-subulate, very 
acute, slightly constricted at the base, one-fourth 
to one-half as long as the achene. 
In marshes, Ontario to Minnesota, south to New 
Jersey, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa. July-Sept. 
17 
