S62 North American Cyp€7'acece. 



a fourth of an inch in length. Involucre 5 — 9-leaved, very long. Spikes 

 1 — 2 inches long, and more than an inch in diameter, formed by numer- 

 ous (20 — 80) spikelets, which spread on all sides, and in a mature state 

 are a little reflexed on the common rachis. Sinkelets | of an inch long, 

 much compressed, acute, deciduous when old. Scales somewhat loosely 

 imbricate, many-striate, with a narrow scarious margin ; the sides yel- 

 lowish. Interior scales hyaline, confluent with the next scale above. 

 Stamens 3. Style entire the greater part of its length. Nut not half the 

 length of the scale, grayish brown, acute, the surface marked with ele- 

 vated dots arranged in longitudinal lines. 



Hab. Wet meadows and low grounds ; common. Massa- 

 chusetts ! to New Orleans ! 



/3 ? umbel compound, many-rayed, with setaceous in- 



volucels ; ochreae 2-awned ; spikes cylindrical-oblong, 3 — 5 

 on each ray ; spikelets linear-subulate, 4 — 5-flowered ; very 

 numerous, somewhat reflexed ; scales narrow-oblong, indis- 

 tinctly striate ; nut oblong, triquetrous. 



Culm a foot and a half high, triquetrous. Umbel about 7-rayed ; the 

 rays 3 — 4 inches long, terminating in several short branches which bear 

 spikelets their whole length. Involucels consisting of several very slender 

 leaves, about as long as the spikes. Spikelets one-third of an inch long, 

 acute, compressed. Scales acute, appressed. Interior scales narrow, hy- 

 aline. Stamens 3. Style 3-cleft about one-third of the way down. Nut 

 somewhat attenuated downward. 



Hab. Burke county. North Carolina, Mr. Curtis.' ' 

 Obs. The original C. strigosus of Linnaeus appears to have 

 been a Virginian plant. The synonyms of Sloane quoted by 

 Willdenow and Rottboell belong to two other species, the for- 

 mer to C. torosus of Vahl, and the latter to C. jplanifolius of 

 Richard. It is uncertain, whether the detailed description of 

 Willdenow refers to o'ne of these, or to the C. strigosus, but 

 probably to the latter. 



I have never seen the spikelets so many flowered as they are 

 said to be by Mr. Elliott (14-24) ; in my specimens very few 

 of them have as many as 10. 



