THE SEDGE FAMILY. 443 



PKELIMINARY ANALYSIS. 

 A. — Spikelets forming irregular panicles, umbels, or corymbs, which are either 



terminal, or very nearly so. 

 B. — Heads of flowers clustered, two or three to five or six, or many more, together, 

 forming spikes of one to six inches in length, and more or less interrupted, 

 the heads almost invariably sessile, p. 444. 

 C. — Spikelets forming compact, cylindrical or ovate, and tei-minal heads, p. 44G. 

 D. — Lower heads or clusters of flowers axillary. 



* Heads, or at least the lower ones, all sessile, or nearly so, p. 448. 

 ** Lower or axillary catkins on long peduncles, and all female ; the terminal 

 one male. 

 Stig7)ias two, p. 448. 

 Stigmas three, p. 448. 

 Fruit downy or hairy, p. 448. 

 Fruit glabrous. 



A. One terminal male catkin (rarely with a smaller one close under- 



neath it). Female catkins erect. Bracts leafy, with sheaths, 

 p. 448. 



B. One terminal male catkin. Female catkins more or less pendulous. 



Bracts with sheaths, rarely without, p. 449. 

 c. Two or three male catkins. Bracts without sheaths. (The lowest 

 one rarely with a sheath), p. 450. 



PARTICULAR ANALYSIS. 

 A. 



Spikelets forming irregular panicles, umbels, or corymbs, which are either 

 terminal, or very nearly so. 

 * 

 Stem leafless, except a single short leaf near the base. 

 Stems erect, slender, two or three to six or eight feet 

 high, and cylindrical, or nearly so. Spikelets 

 brown, egg-shaped, about half an inch long, 

 rather numerous, and clustered into an irre- 

 gular terminal comi)ound umbel, which is ren- 

 dered apparently lateral by the outer bract 



growing an inch or two beyond it 3. Lake Scirpus. 



** 

 Stem with a few leaves upon it. 

 Stems two to three or four feet high. Spikelets small, 

 but very numerous, and disposed in much 

 branched, terminal panicles, which are either 

 upright, or spreading and corymbose. 

 Spikelets dark grayish green. Stems tiiangular, two 

 or three feet high, with long, grass like leaves. 

 Panicle corymbose, six or eight inches in dia- 

 meter, with two or thrco long linear and leaf- 

 like bracts at the base 5. Great Wood SctRPUs. 



