214 CYPEKACEAE 



ovate, green with purple-brown margins : perigynia broadly oblong, many-nerved, 3 mm. 

 long, each tipped with a minute slightly bent beak. 



In swamps and wet meadows, Rhode Island to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Assiniboia, 

 Nebraska and the Indian Territory. Spring and summer. 



63. Carex laxiflora Lam. Leaf-blades 3-6 mm. wide, soft : scapes slender, roughish 

 above, 1.5-6 dm. long : staminate spike usually stalked : pistillate spikes 2-4, distant, 

 linear-cylindric, 3-4 mm. thick, all slender-stalked and spreading or drooping or the upper 

 one erect and sessile : scales ovate with broad white scarious margins, acute, cuspidate or 

 awned : perigynia obovoid, more or less oblique, 2. 5-3 mm. long, strongly many-nerved, 

 each tapering into a short outwardly bent entire beak. 



In meadows and thickets, Maine and Ontario to Minnesota, Florida, Alabama and the Indian 

 Territory. A form with cylindric mostly densely-flowered pistillate spikes, the upper one sessile or 

 nearly so, erect and contiguous to the usually sessile staminate spike is C. laxiflora bldnda (Dewey) 

 Boott ; its range is about the same as that of the type. Another form with glaucous or pale green foli- 

 age, basal leaves 5-10 mm. wide, staminate spike usually stalked, loosely-flowered scattered pistillate 

 spikes often 2.5 cm. long or longer, and rather narrower perigynia is C. laxiflora patulifotia (Dewey) 

 Carey ; it ranges from Nova Scotia and Wisconsin to Tennessee and Alabama. Spring and summer. 



64. Carex styloflSxa Buckl. Leaf-blades 3-6 mm. wide, shorter than the scape : 

 scapes slender, smooth, 2-5 dm. long : bracts short : staminate spike usually long-stalked : 

 pistillate spikes 1-4, distant, loosely-flowered, less than 16 mm. long, the lower drooping 

 on filiform stalks : scales ovate or ovate-lancelate, acute, cuspidate or short-awned, shorter 

 than the perigynia : perigynia narrowly oblong, 3-angled, many-nerved, 4-5 mm. long, 2 

 mm. thick, the slender beak oblique. 



In woods and thickets, New York to Florida, Louisiana and Texas. Spring and summer. 



65. Carex striatula Michx. Resembling C. laxiflora in habit, but usually stouter. 

 Leaves numerous in the tufts ; blades linear, 5-12 mm. wide, or slightly narrower on the 

 upper part of the stem : scapes copiously tufted, 2-5 dm. tall : bracts resembling the leaves 

 but shorter : staminate spike mostly short-peduncled, sometimes raised high above the 

 nearest pistillate spike : pistillate spikes mostly 2-4, loosely several-many-flowered, gen- 

 erally 1.5-3.5 cm. long, the individual flowers often distinctly separated : scales very thin, 

 abruptly pointed, somewhat shorter than the perigynia : perigynia elliptic, 3-4 mm. long, 

 the short beak nearly straight. 



In woods, meadows and thickets, Ontario to Florida, Ohio and Mississippi. Spring and summer. 



66. Carex digitalis Willd. Leaves bright green ; blades 2-4 mm. wide : scapes slen- 

 der or almost filiform, usually 'reclining, 1-4. 5 dm. long : staminate spike stalked : pistillate 

 spikes 2-4, linear, loosely alternately flowered, 1-2.5 cm. long, the lower filiform-stalked, 

 spreading or drooping : scales acute, acuminate or short-awned : perigynia oblong, sharply 

 triangular, many-nerved, 2 mm. long, more than 1 mm. thick, the short beak slightly ob- 

 lique. 



In woods and thickets, Maine and Ontario to Minnesota, Florida and Texas. Spring and summer. 



67. Carex Austro-Carolinfana Bailey. Leaves bright green, overtopped by the 

 scape ; blades 3-6 mm. wide, with rough margins and nerves beneath : scapes tufted, very 

 slender, 1.5-5 dm. long, smooth, staminate spike 1-1.5 cm. long, slender-peduncled : 

 pistillate spikes 3-4, loosely 3-6-flowered, on arching hair-like peduncles, the lower one often 

 near the base of the scape : scales shorter than the perigynia, mucronate, dark green : peri- 

 gynia ovoid or oval, 3-3.5 mm. long, 3-angled, each with a very short oblique tip, del- 

 icately ribbed, sparingly scabrous. [C. Caroliniana Buckl. ] 



On cliffs or rocky slopes, in the mountains, South Carolina and Tennessee. Spring. 



68. Carex plantaginea Lam. Leaves rather dark green ; blades 1-2.5 cm. wide, 

 persistent through the winter : scapes 1.5-5 dm. long : bracts short, usually with purplish 

 clasping sheaths : staminate spike long-stalked, purple : pistillate spikes 3 or 4, slender- 

 stalked, 2.5 cm. long or less : scales ovate, cuspidate : perigynia oblong, outwardly curved, 

 many -nerved, 3 mm. long. 



In woods, New Brunswick and Ontario to Manitoba, North Carolina (according to Chapman) and 

 Wisconsin. Spring and summer. 



69. Carex laxiculmis Schwein. Leaves blue-green and glaucous ; blades elongated, 

 6-10 mm. wide : scapes filiform, ascending or diffuse, 1.5-6 dm. long : bracts usually short r 

 staminate spike long-stalked : pistillate spikes 2-4, oblong, 6-12 mm. long, about 4 mm. 

 thick, drooping from long hair-like stalks or the upper short-stalked : perigynia ovoid- ob- 

 long, 3-angled, many-nerved, about 2 mm. long, scarcely beaked, longer than the ovate 

 green cuspidate or short-awned scales. 



In woods and thickets, Maine to Ontario, Michigan, Rhode Island and North Carolina. Spring. 



70. Carex ptychocarpa Steud. Leaves pale green and glaucous ; blades 4-8 mm. 

 wide : scapes very slender, smooth, 5-15 cm. tall : bracts foliaceous : staminate spike small, 



