370 Mackenzie: Notes oN CarEx—XIi 
(5.5-7-5 mm. long), nearly translucent perigynia, which are 
strongly about ten-nerved ventrally, and very strongly winged. 
It is, 1 would say, more closely related to the northern plant 
than is Carex brevior. 
A real understanding of the members of the Ovales found 
in the northeastern part of North America and the characters 
which separate them dates from Professor Fernald’s revision 
of the group in 1902. The plant which I have been here dis- 
cussing is one which he has collected on a number of occasions. 
It is therefore one to which it is highly fitting to give his name. 
Unfortunately there is a poorly understood Japanese species 
to which his name has been given. Under the circumstances I 
trust that I will be pardoned in proposing for the plant I have 
been discussing a longer name than would ordinarily be de- 
sirable. 
Carex Merritt-Fernaldii Mackenzie sp. nov. 
“Carex festucacea Schkuhr’’ Fernald, Proc. Am. Acad. 37: 477. 
pl. 3, f. 47-8. 1902. 
Cespitose from short-prolonged, lignescent, black-fibrillose 
rootstocks, the culms 3-10 dm. high, slender but stiff, sharply 
triangular above, terete towards base, strongly bi sa diceedi ng 
the leaves, smooth or very slightly di oe beneath head, 
conspicuously clothed at base with the s -bladed Aeaves of 
the previous year, the lower bladeless; Coe git well-developed 
blades three to six to a culm, on the lower third but not bunched, 
the blades erect-ascending, dull- or yellowish-green, firm, 1.5—-3 
mm. wide, usually 1-2 dm. long, strongly roughened towards 
ventrally for a short distance below mouth only, strongly 
papillate dorsally, extending up beyond point of insertion of 
continuous with ligule, the latter longer than wide; 
spikes four to ten (usually six to eight), aggregated to separate, 
the head 1.5-8 cm. long, 7-15 mm. wide, the spikes gynaecan- 
drous, subglobose to ovoid, 7-15 mm. long, 5-9 mm. wide, with 
posi to thirty a ppressed-ascending g perigynia above (the beaks 
appressed-ascending), blunt at apex, abruptly contracted into 
the short clavate basal staminate portion; bracts scale-like, the 
lowest often prolonged, 1-4 cm. long, the upper merely acuminate 
or short-awned ; scales ovate, obtuse to short-cuspidate, yellow- 
ish brown with three-nerved green center and narrow hyaline 
margins, shorter and much oncggird ‘goat the perigynia above; 
perigynia suborbicular, 4-5 mm 2.5-3.5 mm. wide, con- 
cave-convex, thickish over the aig but the walls membran- 
