﻿Mackenzie: Notes on Carex 413 



obovate, obtuse, brownish-black with lighter center and slightly 

 hyaline margins. Pistillate spikes three to five, erect, more or 

 less strongly separate, the upper sessile, the lower short-peduncled, 

 linear-cylindric, 2-4 cm. long, 3.5-5 mm. wide, the upper especially 

 often staminate at apex, the lower slightly attenuate at base, the 

 numerous perigynia ascending, closely packed in several ranks; 

 lower bract leaflet-like, shorter than or sometimes nearly equalling 

 inflorescence, sheathless; upper bracts shorter; auricles often 

 darkened, the upper at least dilated. Scales oblong-ovate to 

 lanceolate, obtusish to acuminate, narrower and from somewhat 

 shorter to somewhat longer than perigynia, blackish with lighter 

 center and slightly hyaline apex. Perigynia straw-colored, obo- 

 void or oval, sessile or nearly so, two-edged plano-convex, finely 

 many-nerved or nerveless when young, 3 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, 

 glandular-puncticulate, slightly granular towards apex, not serru- 

 late, round-tapering at base, abruptly apiculate, beaked, the beak 

 0.25 mm. long, with entire black-tipped orifice. Achenes lenticu- 

 lar, sessile, with obovate faces, 1.5 mm. long; stigmas two. 



Specimens examined 



Oregon: Deschutes River, Howell 935, May 9, 1885 (N. Y., 

 H.); Sauvie's Ma^nA, Howell, May 15, 1886 (N. Y.); "Oregon" 

 1883 (H.). 



The original specimens of Carex angustata Boott were collected 

 along the Columbia River in Oregon or Washington byScouler 

 and Tolmie. Later Dr. Boott, failing to notice that these speci- 

 mens represented a different species than the eastern Carex stricta 

 Lam., applied the name Carex angustata to the eastern plant. His 

 reason for not taking up the name Carex stricta Lam. was that 

 there was a common European species known as Carex stricta 

 Good., and he believed that this name having come into common 

 use should not be superseded by Carex stricta Lam., even though the 

 latter was the earlier published name. His views on this point have, 

 however, not prevailed, but later botanists in taking up the name 

 Carex stricta Lam. have continued the confusion by tacking on 

 the name Carex angustata to it as a slender-spiked variety, and 

 have disregarded the real identity of this species. 



Carex acutina Bailey has also been the source of much un- 

 necessary confusion. The original comparison was with the 

 European Carex acuta, an aphyllopodic species, and the original 



