454 CYPERACE^E. [Carex. 



Ledges of Alpine rocks, N. Wales, "Westmoreland, Dumfries, and Mid. Scot- 

 land, alt. 2,400-3,700 ft. ; fl. July-Aug.— Rootstock tufted, small, stoloniferous. 

 Stem 10-28 in., inclined, 3-gonous, hardly scabrid above. Leaves rather 

 large, \-% in. broad, flat, keeled. Spikelets §-§ in., rarely remote, uppermost 

 sometimes wholly male ; bracts usually exceeding the spikelets, sheaths very 

 short. Glumes erect, imbricate. Fruit 3-quetrous, elliptic. — Distrib. Arctic 

 and Alpine Europe, N. Asia, Himalaya, N.America. — Diandrous and 2-sexual 

 flowers occur (Boott.). 



Section 4. Spikelets mainly 1-sexual, lower all or chiefly female ; upper 

 different-looking, usually more slender, all or chiefly male. 



* Stigmas 2 (rarely 3 in 27, aquatilis, and 28, Goodenovii). Bracts equalling 

 the female spike, sheaths 0. (See also 56, vesicaria, sub-sp. saxatilh, 

 and 59, paludosa. 



t Leaves with revolute or recurved margins (best seen when dry). 



23. C. rig'ida, Good. ; stout, leaves broad short recurved, sheaths 

 all leafing, edges not filamentous, spikelets erect short, perigynia obovoid 

 lenticular green equalling the obtuse dark glumes, beak very short 

 smooth. 



Stony mts., from N. Wales and York to Shetland ; ascends to 4,300 ft. ; W. 

 and N. Ireland; fl. June- Aug.— Rootstock creeping, tufted or not. Stems 

 rigid, 3-quetrous, usually curved, nearly smooth. Leaves many, stiff, keeled, 

 £-J in. broad. Bracts never much exceeding the stem. Sjnkelets very 

 variable, subsessile ; male cylindric, clavate or fusiform, sometimes female 

 below ; females 3-5, J-f in., sometimes pedicelled, obtuse, cylindric or 

 oblong, sometimes male at the top. Glumes dark, midrib green, edges 

 narrow pale. Perigynia broad, smooth, substipitate. — Distrib. Arctic and 

 Alpine Europe, N. Asia, Himalaya, N. America. 



24. C. acu'ta/Z. ; rigid, leaves long broad, sheath-edges not filament- 

 ous, spikelets many long, perigynia compressed green broader than the 

 dark narrow glumes, beak very short entire. C. grac'ilis, Curtis. 



Wet places, from the Clyde and Berwick to Kent and Somerset ; Ireland ; fl. 

 May-June. — Rootstock tufted, stoloniferous or not. Stems 2-3 ft., 3-quetrous, 

 smooth, or scaberulous. Leaves equalling the stem, £-| in. broad, flaccid, 

 lowest sheaths sometimes leafless. Spikelets 1-4 in., many, inclined, sub- 

 sessile, sometimes long-pedicelled ; males 2-4, stout or slender; females 

 3-5. Glumes obtuse acute or cuspidate, midrib green. Perigynia elliptic 

 or suborbicular, smooth, substipitate, variable in size and breadth ; ribs 

 3-5, faint, beak smooth. Nut plano-convex, orbicular or obovoid. — Distrib. 

 Europe (Arctic), N. and W. Asia, E. and W. N. America. — Perigynia 

 sometimes antheriferous. — C. tricosta'ta, Fries, is a slight variety with more 

 orbicular and stronger ribbed perigynia, found N. Ireland. 



25. C. stric'ta, Good. ; slender, leaves long erect flat, sheath-edges 

 filamentous, lower leafless, spikelets sessile, perigynia orbicular-ovoid com- 

 pressed green nerved much larger than the oblong obtuse dark glumes, 

 beak very short notched. C. ccespito'sa, Gay, not L. 



Marshy places, local, from the Clyde to Kent and Dorset; Ireland ; fl. May- 

 June. — Rootstock in large dense tufts. Stems 1-3 ft., 3-quetrous, slightly 



