16. Carex.] 138. CYPERACE.^. 



T Sti"-mas3. Nut 3-sided or not flattened:— 

 ■ A Spikes all 2-sexual, female flowers below, male above :— 

 1 Panicle elongate of distant axillary rnore or less pyra- 



midal panicles with numerous very short spikes : — 

 «. Glumes •06-12" ferruginous or brownish. Spikes not ^ ^,,^,^.^^^_* 



UtiS^elUpsoid strongly ribbed suddenly contracted 

 into a bLak h'i utricle. Gl. much shorter than ^^ ^^.^^^.^^^_ 



Utricle ^small narrow-ellipsoid or ovoid, definitely 

 nerved glabrous. Beak as long as iitricle. GI. 

 small ovate as long as utricle (without beak) . . ^. fihcina. 



"Utricle narrow-ellipsoid acutely 3-gonous, strongly 

 many-nerved, hairy fuscous-brown, beak scarcely ? ;^j^,-„. 



lltTlClG ,•••••**'* 



h. Glumes straw-coloured, spikes congested :— 



Fern o-l. •1--12" with distinct aristula. Utricle ellip- 



sold -15" with beak 2-t ooay . • • ; ^, : 



2. Spikes only 1-5 on the few distant branches of the 



Sp^kes'ovoW -25-3" long, congested at top of stem . 3. l^^'"''"' 

 B SpillJ?^sS?o^'^l^?^-ie, terminal 1-bni^^ ! 6. Wallieniana, 

 "• E^S^ 'ke^StoolJnS!' T;rminal wholly male . . C pl.cota. 



1. C. cruciata, WaM. Inc. C. plebeia, Clarke, C. filicina, Nees. 



Stems manv 2-3-5 ft. high sub-ceespitose from a stout branched 

 horizontal rhizome Mhich is covered with fibrous sheaths, 3-quetrous, 

 smoo? attaining nearly -1" diam. Leaves many long, often over- 

 trpin^' the stenfs, upper passing into bracts, •1--25" broad ending 

 n Ion- setaceous scabrid tips, margins more or less scabrid, nerves 

 irsually two stronger than others as seen from above about 5 subequal 

 each side of midSb as seen from below, sheaths glabrous, lowest on 

 stem sometimes without blades lanceolate cuspidate. Panicle about 

 a foot long consisting of a number of axillary more or less pyramidal 

 Lrt^al miiicles 1-5-2 -5" long and terminating in an oblong or pyra- 

 Sdal pSe Partial panicles with lateral branched spikes below, 

 Smple sr^kes above and terminating in an elongated spike, all spikes 

 sh^rt wit female glumes below spreading in fruit and a termmal 

 cvHndr c male portion, ultimate lateral spikes -25-5 long. Peduncle 

 daCus rhacl is and rhachides of spikes angled pubescent or hispid. 

 G^mes b^own ovate to lanceolate concave with strong midrib more 

 or le s excurrent as a mucro or awnlet, -06-12" long with the awnlet. 

 Utricle ova e acuminate or turbinate always beaked, the beak from 

 one-quarter to as long as the rest of the utricle more or less strongly 

 ribbed closely clinging to the 3-quetrous nut, -08-15 long (the 

 dmerLe in length mainly due to the variable beak), brown dotted. 



A very common plant on banks and in shady places, probably throughout the 

 "^'Ttrh nmnber of speciS has been made of what I include under this. I briefly 



artificial : 



As explained below, the above varieties are considered species in the F.B.I. 

 934 



