SEDGE FAMILY 207 4 



Perigynia ovate or if lanceolate shorter than 5.5 mm. in length. 

 Lower bracts leaflet-like, much exceeding head. 



Perigynia with the beak ferruginous at orifice, bidentate; lowest bract 



appearing like a continuation of the culm .42. C. unilateralis. 



Perigynia with the beak hyaline at orifice, bidentulate; lowest bract not 



appearing like a continuation of the culm 43. C. athrostachya. 



Lower bracts scale-like, much shorter than or slightly exceeding head. 

 Perigynia with membranaceous or submembranaceous walls. 

 Perigynia thin and flat save where distended by aehene. 



Perigynia 3.5 to 5 mm. long; culms slender 44. C. festivella. 



Perigynia 4.5 to 6 mm. long; culms low, ascending or decumbent. 



45. C. nubicola. 

 Perigynia strongly plano-convex at maturity. 



Perigynia nerveless ventrally or with impressed nerves 



46. C. pachystachya. 

 Perigynia with conspicuously raised nerves on inner face. 



Perigynia conspicuously hyaline-tipped; spikes densely capi- 

 tate 47. C. abrupta. 



Perigynia reddish-tipped; spikes more or less strongly separate. 



48. C. mariposana. 

 Perigynia with thick, firm walls. 



Perigynia very small (2.25 to 3.5 mm. long). 



Margins of perigynia entire (or very obscurely subserrulate) . 



49. C. integra. 



Margins of perigynia strongly serrulate 50. C. ten'eraeformis. 



Perigynia longer (3.5 mm. long or more). 



Lower bracts (at least) strongly amplectant; beaks of perigynia 



and scales little reddish-tinged 51. C. amplectens. 



Bracts not amplectant; beaks of perigynia and scales strongly 



reddish-tinged. 

 Perigynia strongly nerved ventrally, the nerves prominent; scales 



with sharply defined midvein. 

 Sterile shoots not conspicuous; lower bladeless sheaths short; 



culms slender; scales mostly acute, reddish-brown 



52. C. Jiarfordii. 



Sterile shoots numerous, elongate; lower bladeless sheaths 

 very long; culms very slender; scales cuspidate or 

 sbort-awned, yellowish-brown... .53. C. montereyensis. 

 Perigynia nerveless or very obscurely nerved ventrally. 



Perigynia with a few raised nerves dorsally; coastal species. 

 Spikes strongly capitate; leaf -blades averaging 2.5 to 3 



mm. wide; culms 3.5 to 12 dm. high 



54. C. sub-bracteata. 



Spikes not capitate, the head slender; leaf -blades averag- 

 ing 1.5 to 2 mm. wide; culms 1 to 6 dm. high 



55. C. gracilior. 

 Perigynia many-striate or with impressed nerves dorsally; 



species of the Sierra Nevada. 



Spikes not few-flowered; culms slender; leaves not clus- 

 tered, the blades long 56. C. pachycarpn. 



Spikes 6 to 12-flowered; culms stiff; leaves clustered, the 

 blades short 57. C. paiwifructus. 



13. Canescentes. 



Spikes androgynous; perigynia unequally biconvex ....58. C. disperma. 



Spikes gynaecandrous ; perigynia plano-convex. 



Perigynia broadest near middle, short-beaked, smooth or little roughened....59. C. canescens. 

 Perigynia ovate, broadest near the base ; beak conspicuous, strongly serrulate....60. C. arcta. 



14. Polytrichoideae. 



Represented by one species ....61. C. leptalea. 



15. Firmiculmes. 



Not stoloniferous ; culms smooth, terete; leaf -blades 1.5 mm. wide; bracts long-awned 



62. C. multicaulis. 



Stoloniferous; culms very rough, triangular; leaf -blades 2 to 3.5 mm. wide; bracts not long- 

 cuspidate 63 - c - ffey er ' i " 



16. Filifoliae. 

 Represented by one species in our range 64. C. exserta. 



