﻿414 Mackenzie: Notes on Carex 



specimens collected by Howell quite justify such 



Later botanists have created confusion by applying the name to 



certain phyllopodic species related to Carex aquatilis Wahl. More 



justifiable was the confusion with the species immediately hereafter 



described. 



- Carex egregia sp. nov. 

 Loosely cespitose and short stoloniferous from slender creeping 

 rootstocks, the culms 4.5-9 dm. high, 4.5 mm. wide at base, 1.5 

 mm. wide below spikes, slender but erect, sharply triangular with 

 concave sides, slightly roughened above, exceeding leaves, strongly 

 purplish tinged at base, aphyllopodic. Leaves with well-developed 

 blades three or four to a fertile culm, on lower fourth, somewhat 

 bunched, the blades flat to base with revolute margins, roughened 

 towards apex, 2-3 mm. w4de, usually 1-3 dm. long, the sheaths his- 

 pidulous,' little carinate and sparingly septate-nodulose dorsally, 

 and brownish tinged ventrally. Terminal spike staminate, stalked, 

 4 cm. long, 5 mm. wide, the scales obovate, obtuse, purplish black 

 with white midvein not extending to apex. Lateral spikes four 

 or five, the upper one or two small, staminate, the lower two to 

 four pistillate (often staminate at apex), more or less strongly 

 separate, sessile or short-peduncled, 2.5-4.5 cm. long, 5 mm. 

 wide, with very many appressed-ascending perigynia in several 

 many rows. Lowest bract leaf-like, exceeding inflorescence, 

 sheathless, dark tinged at base, the upper bracts reduced, not con- 

 picuously dark-auricled. Scales lanceolate, acute, purplish black 

 with white midvein, narrower and longer or shorter than perigynia. 

 Perigynia plano-convex, obovate, 3 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, finely 

 about three- to five-stria te on both faces, brownish , puncticulate and 

 granular-roughened, the margins sharp-nerved, not round, rounded 

 and substipitate at base, rounded and abruptly minutely apicu- 

 late at apex, the orifice entire. Achenes lenticular, closely filling 

 lower part of perigynia, brownish, 1.5 mm. long, substipitate, obo- 

 vate; stigmas two. 



Closely related to Carex eurycarpa Holm, a species with 

 "rounded" perigynia, finely many-nerved on both faces ana with 

 more prominent emarginate beak. The type specimen was 

 distributed as that species. 



Specimens examined 

 Oregon: Cascade Mountains, Cusick 2g8Q, August 27, 190:? 

 (N. Y., H.); Cycan Mountains, Cusick 2ys7, August 14, 1901 



