366 Monograph of North American Carices. 



Obs. The species which we consider as the C. vesicaria, is 

 perhaps what is called C. ampullacea by Professor Dewe}\ 

 We have specimens of a Carex which differs in some re- 

 spects from C. vesicaria, but it hardly appears to be a dis- 

 tinct species. 



107. Carex retrorsa, *. Tab. 28. fig. 2. 



C. spicis sterilibus subternis, inferioribus saepe basi fructife- 

 ris ; spicis fertilibus subquinis, approximatis (quasi corym- 

 bosis,) oblongo-cylindraceis, incluse pedunculatis, infima 

 saepe remota; fructibus ovatis, inflatis, reflexis, rostratis, 

 gluma lanceolata duplo brevioribus. 



C. retrorsa, Schw. an. tab. car. 1. c. Dewey 1. c. ix. p. 67. 



Culm about two feet high, erect, thick, obtusely triangular, leafy. Leave? 

 longer than the culm, thick and rough, 3 — 4 lines broad. Sterile spikes 

 generally 3, sometimes 2, terminal one slender; common peduncle 

 elongated ; glumes oblong, rather obtuse, pale brown. Fertile s])ikes 

 4 — -6, clustered at the summit of the culm in a somewhat corymbose 

 manner, densely fruited, thick, retrorsely imbricate, especially below 

 the middle of the spikes, the upper ones nearly sessile, lowest one 

 often two or three inches distant from the rest ; bractece large, and re- 

 sembling the leaves ; glumes lanceolate, brown, with a green keel half 

 as long as the fruit. Fruit large, ovate, inflated, smooth, nerved ; ros- 

 trum bifid. 



Hab. Borders of Ponds. Waterton, New-York. Dr. 

 Crawe. In Massachusetts. Prof. Dewey. Norwich, Ver- 

 mont ; abundant. Dr. Barratt. Flowers in May. 



Obs. This species is nearly allied to C.folliculata, (3. poly- 

 stachya*, but differs in its numerous sterile spikes, reflexed 

 fruit, &ic. It also resembles C. tentaculata in some re- 

 spects. The inferior fertile spikes are often compound, 

 bearing one or two short branches at the base. 



108. Carex 8chweinitzii, Dewey. 



C. spicis sterilibus binis, suprema elongata, pedunculata ; 

 fertilibus subtribus, oblongo-cylindraceis, subpendulis, re- 

 motiusculis. incluse pedunculatis : fructibus oblongo-ova- 



