CAEEX. 



267 



(monoecious) ; and in a few others, separate spikes on sepa- 

 rate plants (dioecious). The $ flowers consist of 3 stamens, 

 with anthers attached to the filament by the base, i. e., innate. 



The ? is an ovary invested with 

 a sack (perigynium) composed of 

 2 united glumes. The 2 or three 

 stigmas project from the beak or 

 orifice of the perigynium which 

 finally incloses the achenium. 



2. SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 

 Among the multitudinous forms 

 of Carex, we select the two shown 

 in the cuts, common in our wet 

 meadows. The Jewelled Carex 

 (Fig. LXXI, 1), may be distin- 

 guished thus : A 

 smooth, light- 

 green Carex, 2 

 feet high, with 

 narrow leaves and 

 bracts, monoe- 

 cious, with the 

 sterile ( $ ) spikes 

 2 or 3, and the fer- 

 tile (?) 1 or 2, 

 oval or oblong, on 

 very short pedun- 

 cles ; the perigy- 

 nia turgid-ovoid, 

 reclining, taper- 

 ing into a long, 

 straight, rough beak, much longer than the lanceolate 

 glume ; stigmas 3, achenium 3-cornered. 



5, Carex flava ; 6, a glume ; 7, a flower (perigynium) 

 with 3 stigmas issuing from the orifice ; 8, ? flower of Carex 

 rivularis ; g, the glume, p, the bottle-shaped perigynium 

 2-toothed at top, enveloping the ovary ; stigmas 3 ; 9, a 

 perfect flower of Scirpus lucustris, with 6 setae, 3 stamens, 

 3 stigmas. 



