JUNCACE^. (rush family.) 543 



24. J. seirpoides, Lam. Stem erect (l°-3° liijrh). rigid, from a thick 

 white iiorizontal root-tock, bearing about 2 leaves with wide and open sheaths, 

 and a panicle of few or many densely -flowered pale-green spherical heads much 

 longer than the involucral leaf; sepals rigid, awl-shaped and (especially the 

 outer) bristly pointed, at length pungent, nearly equalling the oblong-triangular 

 taper-pointed 1-celled pod; seeds ovoid, abruptly pointed at each end, ribbed- 

 reticulated. (J polyccplialus, Mivlix.) — The following forms belong here. 



Var. macrostemon. Rather slender; leaves terete; branches of the 

 panicle erect and often elongated; heads smaller (3^"-4" wide), 15-40-flow- 

 ered; (lowers \\'' - 1 j" long; outer sepals mostly longer than the inner, as long 

 as the stamens ; anthers very small ; seeds i" long. (J. echinatus, Midd. J. 

 macrostemon, Gaij.) — Wet sandy soil, from Statcn Island ( C. F. xiustin) south- 

 ward near the coast. 



Var. echinatus. Stouter ; leaves terete ; branches of the compact panicle 

 short; heads larger (5"-6" wide), 40 - 80-flowered ; flowers (l3"-2" long); 

 sepals narrower and more sharply pointed, the outer a little longer than the 

 inner ones ; stamens shorter and anthers longer than in the preceding, and 

 seeds rather smaller and more slender. (J. echinatus,. £//.) — From Maryland 

 southward. 



Var. polycephalus. Much stouter; leaves laterally flattened (-3" -6" 

 wide) ; panicle spreading, branched, bearing many distant heads as large as 

 tnose of the foregoing form ; flowers 2" - 2k" long ; the 3 outer sepals the longer; 

 anthei-s about as long as the filaments; seeds larger (J" long). (J. poly- 

 cephalus. Ell., Chapm.) — From North Carolina southward; and may be 

 looked for in Southern Virginia. 



* * Seeds tailed. 

 H- Stamens 3. 



25. J. Canadensis, J. Gay. Tufted stems erect, terete, smooth, bearing 

 2-3 leaves ; heads few- or many-flowered, paniculate ; sepals lanceolate, the 3 

 outer shorter than the inner ones, not much longer than the stamens, equal to 

 or shorter than the triangular prismatic almost 1-celled usually short-pointed 

 pod; style mostly short; seeds more or less distinctly tail-pointed, delicately 

 many-ribbed. — Common in most districts. Aug., Sept. — One of the latest 

 flowering species, and thus easily distinguished, even when quite immature, 

 from the similar but early J. acuminatus. This very variable species comprises 

 the following forms. 



Var. longieaudatUS. Stem stout and rigid (l^°-30 high), bearing in a 

 decompound somewhat spreading panicle the numerous 5 - 50-flowered heads ; 

 flowers greenish or light brown (li"-2" long); sepals awl-pointed mostly 

 shorter than the abruptly short-pointed pod ; seeds slender (-j"-!" long), con- 

 spicuously tail-pointed. (.J. paradoxus, Ed. 1 & 2, Chapman, ^~c.) — From 

 S. New England southward along the coast, and westward to Wisconsin and 

 Northern Illinois. 



Var. SUbcaudktUS. Stem slender, often dccumbjnt (1°- 2° high), bear- 

 ing in simpler spreading panicles fewer 8 - 20-flowcred heads; flowers greenish, 

 as large as last ; sepals awl-shaped, but not so rigid ; pod mostly tapering ; seeds 



