340 Monograph of North American Carices. 



fruit. Fruit about half an inch long-, oblong, nerved, gradually taper- 

 ing into a long very acute point, at first nearly erect, but at length 

 spreading horizontally, and sometimes the lower ones even reflexed ; 

 orifice bifid. Canjopsis triangular, with the angles obtuse. 



Hab. In swamps ; Massachusetts to Carolina. Not uncom- 

 mon in the cedar swamps of New-Jersey. Flowers in 

 June. 



Obs. The whole plant is at first of a bright green colour, 

 but it becomes yellowish in age. It varies somewhat in 

 the number and degree of remoteness of the spikes, and in 

 the length of their peduncles, but still it is a species easily 

 recognised, and to all appearances quite distinct from C. 

 folliculata. Sometimes there are but two fertile spikes. 



73. Carex subulata, Michaux. t. xxvii. f. 1. 



C. spica sterili brevi-pedunculata ; fertilibus subquaternis, 

 sessilibus vel incluse pedunculatis, remotissimis, paucifloris, 

 apice sterilibus ; fructibus subulatis, reflexis, gluma lan- 

 ceolata multi-longioribus, culmo gracillimo. 



C. subulata, Mlch.Jl. i. p. 173. Pursh fi. i. p. 



C. Collinsii, Nutt. gen. ii. p. 205. 



Culm two feet or more in height, very slender, inclining on other plants, 

 or decumbent, smooth, obtusely triquetrous, leafy. Leaves flat, about a 

 line and a half broad, smooth, shorter than the culm. Sterile spike small 

 and slender, on a short peduncle ; glumes lanceolate, acute. Fertile 

 spikes usually 4, but sometimes 3 or 5, seldom more than 4-flowered, 

 the upper ones sessile, the lower on peduncles, which are scarcely ex- 

 serted, all of them bearing a few sterile florets at the summits ; the dis- 

 tance between the two lowest is often 6 inches or more ; glumes lanceo- 

 late, acute, about one third the length of the fruit, spreading. Fruit 

 subulate, slightly ventricose, smooth, indistinctly nerved, attenuate into a 

 long slender rostrum, loosely arranged on the rachis, in a somewhat dis- 

 tichous manner ; orifice oblique, and remarkably bicuspidate, the points 

 reflexed abruptly so as to become tenacious. Caryopsis oblong, ob- 

 tusely triangular. 



Hab. In the deep cedar swamps of New- Jersey. Flowers 

 in Julv. 



