310 GLUMACE.E 



I inch broad ; stems 3-angled in the upper half ; peduncles rough. 

 Bogs ; rather rare. Fl. May, June. Perennial. 



5. E. gracile (Slender Cotton-Grass). Tall and slender ; leaves 

 very narrow, 3-angled ; stem almost 3-angled ; peduncles downy ; 

 spikelets about 4, almost erect. Bogs in the south ; very rare. 

 Fl. June, July. Perennial. 



6. Rhynchospora (Beak-Sedge) 



1. R. fusca (Brown Beak-Sedge). A very slender, rush-like 

 plant ; stem 6-10 inches high, with a few short, erect, subulate 

 leaves, the uppermost (bracts) projecting an inch or more beyond 

 the spikelets ; spikelets brown, less than \ inch long, usually in 2 

 rather loose clusters ; flowers usually 2 to each spikelet ; bristles 

 about 6, very unequal. Bogs in the south-west of England and in 

 Ireland ; rare. Fl. July, August. Perennial. 



2. R. alba (White Beak-Sedge). Differs from R. fusca in having 

 whitish spikelets, and the uppermost leaves (bracts) are shorter 

 or scarcely longer than the spikelets. Bogs ; frequent. Fl. June, 

 July. Perennial. 



7. Schcenus (Bog-Rush) 



1. S. nigricans (Black Bog-Rush). A rush-like plant with stiff 

 stems about 1 foot high ; leaves short, stiff, arising from the base 

 of the stems, with dark brown sheaths ; spikelets several, dark 

 shining brown, in compact terminal heads about | inch across, 

 surrounded by 2 or 3 brown bracts, 1 at least with a point \-2 

 inches long. Bogs ; frequent, especially in the west. Fl. June, 

 July. Perennial. 



2. 5. ferrugineus (Brown Bog-Rush). Smaller than the pre- 

 ceding, and the leaf-sheaths are reddish brown with usually very 

 short blades ; spikelets reddish brown, only 2 or 3 in a head. Open 

 peat moors in Perthshire ; very rare. Fl. June, July. Perennial. 



8. Cladium (Fen-Sedge) 



1. C. Mariscus (Prickly Fen-Sedge). The only British species, 

 sometimes called C. jamaicense. It is a tall, rush-like plant, with 

 leafy stems 3-6 feet high ; leaves nearly erect, the lowest nearly as 

 long as the stems, rough on keel and edges ; spikelets pale brown, 

 J-J inch long, very numerous, arranged in small clusters which 

 form a leafy, oblong, terminal panicle often a foot long or more ; 

 stamens usually 2. Bogs ; very local. It was formerly abundant 

 in the fen country of Cambridge and Suffolk, but has been de- 

 stroyed to a great extent by the draining of the fens. Fl. July. 

 Perennial 



