62 Analytical Table of Carices. 



An Analytical Table to facilitate the determination of the 

 hitherto observed North American Species of the Genus Ca- 

 bex. By the Rev. Lewis D. de Schweinitz. Read 

 Dec. S, 1823. 



The object of the annexed table is to enable botanists to 

 ascertain readily if any American species of Carex, which 

 they wish to determine, has been described or not. A promi- 

 nent particular in each is selected for contrast, though it is 

 scarcely necessary to state that other characters, of equal im- 

 portance, are often omitted whenever a short antithesis was 

 sufficient. In this table I have rejected those European spe- 

 cies cited by Pursh as American, which stand as such upon 

 his authority alone ; it being evident that he did not critically 

 compare the species of this genus. I refer to Pursh, however, 

 as often as a species of my table is mentioned in his Flora, be- 

 cause further references are there found. I submit the follow- 

 ing directions for its use. 



In order to determine the specific name of any Carex ac- 

 cording to this table, take a good complete specimen, or, if 

 possible, a number of specimens, in order to prevent being 

 misled by individual particularities, and compare them with 

 Number 1. of the series of dichotomous antithetical positions, 

 of which the table consists ; it will not be difficult to ascertain 

 to which of the two positions it answers. The number sub- 

 joined to this directs to the number of the continued series, to 

 which it is then necessary to recur. Next examine again 

 which of the antithetical positions in that number embraces the 

 Carex under investigation, and the number annexed to that, 

 again directs to some other pair of positions ; and so on, until 

 you arrive at that one to which the specific name is attached. 

 It is always necessary to compare both positions in each num- 

 ber, because one serves to explain the other. Occasionally 

 i he final positions, which indicate the specific name, are made 

 rnchotomous fur the sake of brevity, a? it can never be cliffi- 



