418 CYPERACE^a. [CAKEX. 



sessile; male -f in., slender, brown; females 2-4, J-in., 2 upper or all 

 contiguous; bracts at length horizontal, sheath very variable in length. 

 Glumes small, acute or mucronate, brown, midrib green, edges concolorous. 

 Perigynia rather spreading, opaque, coriaceous, dull green, dotted, gradually 

 narrowed into the beak. Fruit shortly elliptic, olive-brown, 3-quetrous. 

 DISTRIB. Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia, N. and S. America to Patagonia. 



46. C. fla'va, L. ; stem curved, leaves flat, bracts long, sheaths short, 

 spikelets oblong green, perigynia spreading or deflexed ovoid 3-gonous in- 

 flated ribbed much exceeding the obtuse glumes, beak long slender scabrid 

 2-cuspidate. 



Heaths, bogs, and marshes, ascending to near 2,900 ft. in the Highlands ; 

 fl. May-June. Raotslock tufted, stolons 0. Stem 3-18 in., curved, 3-gonous, 

 angles rather acute. Leaven | to nearly { in. broad, chiefly radical, often 

 recurved, shorter than the stem, usually flat. Spikelets usually contiguous, 

 sessile or pedicelled ; male -1 in., fusiform; female* 2-4, i- in., sub- 

 cylindric, squarrose ; bracts spreading, sheaths very variable. <'/'' /* 

 small, obtuse or subacute, usually green clouded with brown. Ptriijifn'm 

 sessile, variable in size, green, coriaceous, gradually narrowed into the beak. 

 Fruit short, 3-gonous, olive-brown, angles acute. DISTRIB. Europe (Arctic), 

 Madeira, W. Asia to India, N. America. In the following varieties the 

 spikelets are so variable that I have not introduced them. 



VAR. 1, fla'va proper ; beak of perigynium decurved scabrid. VAR. 2, CE'deri, 

 Ehr. (sp.); usually smaller, beak of smaller perigynium straighter scabrid. 

 VAR. 3, lepi'docarpa, Tausch (sp.); perigynium small, beak short nearly 

 straight almost smooth. 



47. C. dis tans, L. ; slender, leaves flat, bracts leafy, sheaths long, 

 spikelets distant lower pedicelled, perigynia suberect ovoid turgid ribbed 

 exceeding the ovate glumes, beak flat 2-cuspidate scabrid. 



Marshes and wet meadows, ascending to nearly 1,900 ft. in the Highlands ; 

 absent in Devon? and Cornwall ; fl. June. Rootstock tufted, creeping. Stem 

 10-18 in., 3-gonous, smooth or slightly scabrid above, leafy below the middle. 

 Leaves A-$ in. broad, glaucous, often recurved. Spikelets, male i-1 in., 

 long-pedicelled, slender ; females 1-3, -1 in. , very distant, erect, cylindric- 

 oblong ; lower bract not equalling the stem, and often not its spikelet. 

 Glume* broad, subacute, brown, midrib green, margins and tip white. 

 Perigynia sessile, green, opaque, gradually narrowed into the slender 

 flattened short straight beak, mouth membranous. Fruit broad, obovoid, 

 3-quetrous, brown. DISTRIB. Europe, N. America? 



Sub-sp. DIS'TANS proper ; leaves darker, bracts usually longer, female spike- 

 lets 3-4 longer, glumes more obtuse mucronate or awned less hyaline at the 

 tip, perigynia broader black-dotted. Brackish marshes ; extends to N. 

 Africa. I do not find the fruit to differ constantly from C. fulva. 



Sub-sp. FUL'VA, Good, (sp.); bracts rarely equalling the stem, female spikelets 

 23, glumes obtuse or acute not mucronate, tips more or less hyaline, 

 perigynia broad at the base not dotted. VAR. 1, bracts long, female spike- 

 lets usually 2, edges of beak scabrid. VAR. 2, Honuchuchia'na, Hoppe (sp.) ; 

 bracts shorter, female spikelets usually 3 longer pedicelled, beak smoother. 

 C. tpeirostachya, Sm. Chiefly subalpine. 



48. C. biner'via. Sm.; slender, leaves rigid recurved flat, bracts leafy, 

 sheaths long, spikeleta all pedicelled cylindric, perigyuia ovoid 3-gonous 



