158 HORDEAE 



The Sedges (Carex spp. j. Tliis is without question 

 the largest genus of plants known and is distributed all over 

 the world. Our State has comparatively few of them, as is 

 to be expected, for they are plants that love a water soaked 

 soil. Thirty-two species of the genus are here listed and 

 there are probably more, since collectors almost invariably 

 pass them over, because the species are hard to recognize. 

 They are all quite grass-like in appearance, from a few 

 inches to a- foot or more tall, and g-row mostly in wet soil 

 beside streams, along ditch banKS, in boggy spots at springs 

 and in ir.e cienagas. The "grass" or hay of most of the 

 mountain cienagas is made u]) of a mixture of a few of the 

 true grasses that grow in water, many of the Rushes {J uncus 

 spp.), the Spike Rushes (Eleocharis spp. ), species of Scirpus 

 and an occasional Cypcrus, w'ith a considerable sprinkling of 

 Sedges (Carcx spp.). The ha}- cut from such places is really 

 quite valuable as winter feed and for farm animals that must 

 be worked, although as compared with alfalfa or clover it is 

 not Very good liay. But alfalfa is very liard to get in such 

 situations and is expensive, hence a product of the region is 

 quite valuable as a uiable substitute for an expensive pro- 

 duct. These conditions obtain at many of the "headquarters" 

 ranches of the cattle and sheep companies and the crop of the 

 nearby cienaga or swale is utilized in this way. Many small 

 farmers in the higher mountains have meadows in the heads 

 of the small valleys, where the cro]) is similar to that of the 

 cienagas. These form a natural summer pasture or produce a 

 hay crop, for both of which purposes they can be and are 

 often used. 



Practically all of the species of Carex here listed are 

 to be found in some such position, except those that grow 

 only on the high mountain peaks above timber line. And it is 

 probable that many of them will be found in the high cold 

 meadows at the heads of moiuitain streams when those areas 

 have been more carefully explored by collectors and more 

 attention paid to the collecting qf sedges. None of the 



