358 Monograph of North American Carices. 



96. Carex limosa, Lin. 



C. spicis fertilibus subbinis, ovatis, vel oblongo-ovatis, pe» 

 dunculatis subdistantibus, pendulis ; fructibus suborbicula- 

 to-ellipticis, compressis, brevissime rostellatis (viridibus) 

 ore integris, gluma ovata mucronata subaequantibus. 



C. limosa, Willd. sp. pi iv. p. 293. Wahl. act. Holm. 1803. 

 p. 161. Schk. car. t. X. f. 78. Rich. app. Frank, nar. ed. 

 2. p. a6. Dewey car. 1. c. x. p. 41. 



C. lenticularis, Mich. Jl. ii. p. 172. Dewey car. 1. c. vii. ' 

 p. 273. 



Culm usually about 9 inches high, but occasionally attaining the height of 

 two feet, erect, triquetrous, very smooth. Leaves mostly radical, narrow 

 in proportion, much shorter than the culm, smooth and subglaucous; 

 inferior sheaths brown at the base. Sterile spike about three fourths of 

 an inch long, on a straight filiform peduncle ; sheaths of the bractese 

 very short ; glumes ovate, carinate, mucronate, brown, the keel green. 

 Fertile spikes generally two, but often solitary, rarely 3, situated near 

 the summit of the culm, on filiform peduncles about three fourths of an 

 inch long, more or less ovate, rather loosely flowered, at first horizontal, 

 but at length pendulous, thick; glumes variable in length, generally 

 about the length of the fruit, ovate or oblong, acuminate or cuspidate, 

 sometimes obtuse, brown, (rarely green). Fruit roundish elliptical, 

 compressed and appearing lenticular, minutely rostrate, smooth, and 

 distinctly 3-nerved on each side, glaucous, green, puncticulate. 



Hab. In sphagnous swamps and on the borders of mountain 

 lakes. Flowers in June. In a swamp at Greenbush near 

 Albany, New- York. Dr. E. James. In various parts of 

 Massachusetts, as Ashfield, Dr. Porter; Stockbridge and 

 Becket, Dr. Emmons; Ipswich, Mr. Oakes. On the mar- 

 gin of Blue-pond, summit of Mt. Washington, New-Hamp- 

 shire, Dr. Barratt. In the woody region of Arctic Ameri- 

 ica. Dr. Richardson. About Swan Lake. Michaux. 



Obs. Several varieties of this species are described by Wah- 

 lenberg, in his Flora Lapponica ; his (3. irrigua occurs 

 among our specimens from the White Hills, and from one 



