446 THE SEDGE FAMILY. 



Flowers green, or at least more green than brown. 

 Spikelets, or at least the lower ones, slightly 

 distant, and all of them simple. 

 Fruits erect, ovate, with a minute point. Spike- 

 lets five or six, alternate, short, oval, 

 pale, and silvery. Stems twelve to 

 eighteen inches high. Leaves erect, 



narrow, and rough 18. White Carex. 



Fruits tapering to a point, few, spreading in all 

 directions ; spikelets three or four, nearly 

 globular when ripe. Stems sis to eight 



inches high 10. Little Star Carex. 



Spikes dense, oblong, the lower spikelets often a 

 httle compound. 

 Spikes large, two to three inches long, cylin- 

 drical. Stem two feet high, stout, rough, 

 acutely triangular, with concave sides, 

 and abruptly contracted at the summit. 

 Leaves very long, broad, rough at the 



margins and on the keel 24. Fox Carex. 



Spikes small, not much exceeding an inch in 

 length ; spikelets four to six. Stem 

 twelve to fifteen inches high. Fruits 

 acutely angular, yellowish 23. Prickly Carex. 



Spikelets forming compact, cylindrical or ovate, and terminal heads, which are 

 usually sohtary, and never more than two together. When there are two, 

 the outer bract is continued beyond them, and makes it appear as if they 

 were lateral. 



Flowers in separate male and female catkins on separate plants. 



Flower-stems six to eight inches high ; leaves very 

 short; male catkins linear, female ones egg- 

 shaped 14. DiCECious Carex. 



Stamens and pistils both on the same plant, and usually in the same flower. 



Spikelets in pairs, grayish, minute. Stems two to 



five inches high, densely tufted 4. Bristle Scirpus. 



Spikelets solitary and quite terminal. 

 Plant floating in water. 

 Stems branched, often matted, very slender .... 11. Floating SriicE-RUSU. 



