North American Cijperacea. 335 



T. alpinum, /S. Hudsonianum, Pcrs. sijn. 1. p. 70. 



T. Hudsonianum, Nutt. gen. 1. p. 36. 



Rhizoma creeping. Culms numerous, growing in a row, 8 — 10 inches 

 high, scarcely thicker than a packthread, with very acute scabrous 

 angles and concave sides, naked except near the base. Leaves 3 — S 

 lines long, pungent, erect, triangular, channelled ; sheaths close, purplish ; 

 the lowest ones nearly naked, or with merely cuspidate rudimentary 

 leaves. Spike 3 lines long, somewhat compressed. Scales oblong-lan- 

 ceolate, obtuse, yellowish-brown ; the lowest one bracteiform, submu- 

 cronate, nearly as long as the spike. Bristles 4 — 5 times as long as the 

 scale, constantly 6, flat and membranaceous, white, more or less crisped, 

 fragile. Stamens 3 ? ; filaments capillary, long. Style filiform, 3-cleft 

 half-way down. Nut triangular, compressed, acuminated with the base 

 of the style, pale brown, dull. 



Hab. Sphagnous swamps, parlicularly on mountains. 

 Danville, Vermont, J. Carey, Esq! ; Stockbridge, Wenhara, 

 and other parts of Massachusetts, Dr. Emmons! and TV. Oakes^ 

 Esq!; bogs on the mountains of Pennsylvania, Pursh; White 

 Hills of New Hampshire, Dr. Bigelow! ; Northern and Western 

 parts of the State of New York, Dr. Gray! — May — June. 



Obs. This Eriophorum differs from all the other single- 

 spiked species of the genus in the rigid scales of the spike, and 

 in the definite crisped bristles. From the subgenus Tricho- 

 phorum it also differs in the texture of the scales, and in the 

 flat, less crisped and white bristles. The North American plant 

 resembles the European E. alpimim in almost every respect. 



2. Eriophorum vaginatum, Linn. 



Culm terete below, obtusely triangular above, somewhat 

 rigid ; sheaths inflated ; spike oblong-ovate ; scales scarious ; 

 hairs straight, dense ; anthers linear, elongated. 



E. vaginatum, Linn. ; Willd. sp. 4. p. 312 ; Vahl, enum. 2. p. 388; 

 Rcem. Sf- Schult. syst. 2. p. 157 ; Wahl. fl. Lapp. p. 17 ; Sprcng. sy.it. 

 1. p. 214 ; S7nilh, Eng. fi. 1. p. QQ ; Eng. hot. t. 873 ; Torr.! fl. 1. p. 65; 

 Beck! hot. p. 427; Gray ! Gram, ff Cyp. part. 1, no. 88. 



Vol. m. 43 



