North American Cypcraccce. 437 



1 — 2 inches long. jHearfs half an inch in diameter. Spikelets oi di d^nW 

 greenish white colour, mixed with yellow. Scales quite distinct, spread- 

 ing almost horizontally ; the ui)per half distinctly recurved. Stamens 

 always solitary. Nut greenish, somewhat obovate. 



Hab. Texas, T. Dmmmond! (Coll. III. no. 450.) 



Obs. Allied to C. vireyis, but easily distingitished from the 

 other species of the section to which it belongs by its slender 

 culms, narrow leaves, and distinct scales. 



Carex Drummondii, Torr. ^ HooJc. 



Culm tall and very slender, veiy acutely triangular, the sides 

 concave ; umbel simple, 5 — 6-rayed ; rays very short ; heads 

 subglobose, composed of many crowded spikelets ; involucre 

 2-leaved, longer than the umbel ; spikes 20 — 30-flowered, 

 much compressed ; scales lanceolate, strongly appressed, acute, 

 slightly spreading at the tip; interior scales 0; stamen soli- 

 tary ; nut oblong, acute at each end, papillose in lines. 



Culm 3 — 4 feet high ; the angles almost winged, sharp, and scabrons. 

 Leaves much shorter than the culm, 2 — 3 lines wide. Rays of the 

 umbel very short, so that the heads appear almost sessile. Heads 

 nearly an inch in diameter, composed of about 40 — 50 radiating spike- 

 lets. Spikelets ovate-lanceolate, nearly one-third of an inch long, rather 

 obtuse, of a pale yellowish colour. Scales somewhat coriaceous, very 

 closely imbricated, with 3 obscure nerves, the points slightly bent out- 

 wards. Interior scales indistinct, forming a mere zig-zag line on the 

 rachis. Stamen always solitary. Nut with 3 nearly flat sides, con- 

 tracted at the base into a sort of pedicel ; the surface roughened with 

 minute papillae arranged in lines. 



Hab. Texas, T. Drummond ! (Coll. I. without a nurii- 

 ber.) 



Obs. The spikes have a very neat appearance, much like 

 those of some species of Eragrostis It is nearly allied to C. 

 mireus, H. B. ^ K. 



