53G JUNCACE^. (rush family.) 



Var. Americ^num. (N. Amcricanum, Ker.) Flowers rather smaller 

 (scarcely 3" lonjj) ajid leaves narrower than the European plant, which is lim- 

 ited to the Atlantic-side of that continent, as is ours here: viz. in sandv ho<j;s, 

 on this side, where it is very local, in the pine barrens of New Jersey only. 

 June, July. 



Order 122. JUNClCEiE. (Rusn Family.) 



Grass-like or sedge-like herbs, with small Jlowers, a regular and hypogynous 

 persistent perianth of 6 similar glumaceous sepals, 6 or rarely 3 stamens with 

 2-celled anthers, a single short style, SJili/orm hairy stigrnas, and an ovary 

 either 3-cclled or l-celled tcith 3 parietal placenta;, forming a loculicidal 

 3-valved pod. Seeds anatropous, with a minute embryo enclosed at the 

 base of the fleshy ajbumen. — Rushes, with the flowe s liliaceous in struc- 

 ture, but sedge-like in aspect and texture, mainly represented by only 

 two genera. 



1. LITZULA, DC. Wood-Rush. 



Pod l-celled, 3-seeded, one seed to each parietal placenta. — Perennials, often 

 hairy, usually in dry ground, with flat and soft usually hairy leaves, and spiked- 

 crowded or umbelled flowers. (Name said to be altered from the Italian luciola, 

 a glow-woiin. ) 



* Flowers loosely long-peduncled, umbelled or corymhed. 



1. L. pil6sa, Willd. Leaves lance-linear, hairy ; umbel mostly simple; 

 sepals pointed, shorter than the obtuse pod ; seeds with a curved appendage. — 

 Woods and banks : common northward. May. — Plant 6' - 9' high. (Eu.) 



2. L. parvifldra, Desv., var. melanocarpa. Nearly smooth (l°-3° 

 high) ; leaves broadly linear; corymb deronijiound, loose; prdicels droopiny ; sepals 

 pointed, straw-color, about the length of the minutely pointed and brown pod. 

 (L. melanocarjia, Desv.) — Mountains, Maine to Northern New York, and north- 

 ward. July. (Eu.) 



* * Flowers crowded in spikes or close clusters. {Plants G'- 12' liigli.) 



3. L. eamp6stris, DC. Leaves fat, linear ; s/iilces 4-12, somewhat umbelled, 

 ovoid, straw-color, some of them long-peduncled, others nearly sessile; sepals 

 bristle-pointed, longer than the obtuse pods ; seeds with a conical appendage at 

 the base. — Dry fields and woods ; common. May. (Eu.) 



4. L. areu^ta, Meyer. Leaves channelled, linear; spikes 3-5, on unequal 

 oflen recurved peduncles, ovoid, chestnut-brown ; bracts ciliate-fringed ; sepals 

 taper-pointed, longer than the obtuse pod; seeds not appendaged. — Alpine 

 summits of the White Mountains, New Hampshire, and high northward. (Eu.) 



5. L. spicita, Desvaux. I^enves channelled, narrowly linear ; y?o(«/s in 

 sessile clusters, furminy a noddiny interrupttd spiked panicle, brown ; sepals bristle- 

 pointed, scarcely as long as the abruptly short-j)ointed ))od; seeds merely witli 

 a roundish projection at the base. (Our plant is L. raeemosa, Desv.l according 

 to Godet.) With the last, and more common. (Eu.) 



