312 Monograph of North American C arias. 



florets in the inferior part of each, ovate, remote, (often an inch apart) 

 mostly 3-flowered, but sometimes with 2 or 4 fertile florets; the 2 lower 

 spikelets supported by filiform scabrous bracteae surpassing the culm in 

 length. Glumes (of the fruit) ovate or oblong, acute, white and hyaline, 

 with a green keel, about two-thirds as long as the fruit. Fruit oblong, 

 convex above, plane below, with numerous indistinct nerves, and a small 

 abrupt acumination, entire at the orifice. 



Hab. In sphagnous bogs, usually on mountains. Williams- 

 town and Deerfield, Massachu setts. Dewey. In wet 

 places on the summit of the White Mountains, New Hamp 

 shire. Dr. Barratt. Flowers in June. 



Obs. 1. The color of the whole plant is pale green. 2. This 

 species is nearly allied to the preceding, but differs essen- 

 tially in the glume and fruit. From C. disperma it differs 

 in the position of the sterile florets, &c. 



31. Carex arida*. t. xxiv. f. 2. 



C. spiculis (magnis) octonis, subapproximatis, terminalibus, 

 siccis ; fructibus ellipticis compressis, alatis, medio teretibus, 

 utrinque acuminatis, apice apertis, bifidis ; culmo foliato. 



C. muskingumensis, Schw. an. tab. car. 1. c. 



Culm 2 — 3 feet high, triquetous, furrowed, scabrous above, smoother below, 

 clothed with leaves at remarkably regular intervals, to about half its 

 height ; the inferior sheaths purplish at the base. Leaves 4 lines or more 

 broad, very long, carinate, but flattened, attenuate to a point, dark green, 

 extremely rough on the margin ; sheaths white and membranaceous 

 on the inner side. Spikelets very large, terminal, 8 — 9 in number, long- 

 elliptical and acuminate both ways, of a peculiarly dry and chaffy appear- 

 ance, each almost half an inch long, approximate but not crowded, a little 

 diverging from the common rachis Glumes ovate-lanceolate, dry and 

 cartilaginous, shorter and narrower than the fruit, closely imbricate, and 

 lacerately ciliate. The lowest sterile glume in each spikelet more or 

 less mucronate and sheathing at the base ; in the lowest spikelet it is 

 elongated and appressed. Fruit proportionably small and thin, com- 

 pressed, compactly imbricate, elliptical, attenuate at each end, closely 

 rounded about the contained seed, very broadly winged; the winged 

 margin finely serrate towards the summit, which is divergingly bifid. 



