Monograph of North American Rhynchospora. 193 



By far the greatest number of the species of Rhynchospora 

 are natives of America. The Systema Vegetabilium of Spren- 

 gel, the latest enumeration I have seen, comprises 38 species, 

 exclusive of 5 species of Carpha of R. Brown, which are by 

 Sprengel referred to this genus. To these we may add 5 

 species from Roemer and Schultes, Mantissa, vol. II. which 

 mcreases the number of species to 43. Of these, 30 are na- 

 tives of America, 6 of New Holland, 4 of the East Indies, 1 of 

 tlie Cape of Good Hope, and 2 are common both to Europe 

 and North America. 



In Willdenow's Species Plantarmn two species of Rhyn- 

 chospora are described as natives of North America, viz. Schoe- 

 nus glomeratus and cymosus. Lamarck, in the first volume of 

 his illustrations of the Genera of Plants, published in 1791, has 

 imperfectly characterized three species, which were collected 

 in Carolina and Florida by Mr. Fraser. Two of these can be 

 satisfactorily determined, and to these the specific names of 

 Lamarck must be restored, to the exclusion of those conferred 

 by later authors. Michaux, in the Flora Bor call- Americana, 

 has enumerated nine species, and they are, for the most part, 

 very accurately described. The Descriptio Uberior Grami- 

 num of Muhlenberg, contains 'detailed descriptions of thirteen 

 species of this genus. Specimens of many of these, however, 

 do not exist in his herbarium ; and those which have a place 

 tiiere are in such a state of confusion, (there being often three 

 or four species with a single label) that litde information is to 

 be obtained by consulting it. 



The species of Schoenus with hypogynous bristles and a 

 sub-articulated tubercle were separated to form the genus 

 Rhynchospora, by Vahl, in the second volume of his Emime- 



barium comprises. It appears that he had paid much attention to this ge- 

 nus and to tlie Cyperaceae in general, and many of his observations are 

 valuable. 



I have adopted the specific names proposed by Dr. Baldwin, except 

 in cases where they have been previously applied to other species, or are 

 for some other reason objectionable. 



