SEDGE FAMILY. 

 5. Scleria pauciflora Muhl. Papillose Nut-rush. < Fig. 666. ) 



Selena pauciflora Muhl.; Willd. Sp. PI. 4: 318. 1805. 



Rootstocks thick, hard, clustered, culms slender, 

 rather stiff, erect, usually tufted, glabrous or 

 sparingly pubescent, 3-angled, 9'-2 tall. Leaves 

 very narrowly linear, erect, less than i" wide, the 

 lower short, the upper elongated and often over- 

 topping the culm, their sheaths often densely pu- 

 berulent; spikelets in a small terminal cluster and 

 sometimes also in i or 2 axillary short-stalked 

 ones; bracts ciliate or glabrous; achene oblong or 

 globular, ]&" -in diameter or rather more, crusta- 

 ceous, papillose, the lower papillae elongated and 

 reflexed; hypogynium a narrow obtusely triangu- 

 lar border supporting 6 very small tubercles some- 

 what approximate in pairs. 



In dry soil, New Hampshire to Ohio and Missouri, 

 south to Florida and Texas. Also in Cuba. June-Sept. 



6. Scleria verticillata Muhl. Low Nut-rush, i Fig. 667.) 



in i-erlitillala Muhl \\i11.1 Sj. i 4 

 1805. 



Hypoporum ;r/ //<///.;/;// N i - I.trtnac*. 9: JBJ. 

 1835- 



Annual ?) roots fibrous, culm* very slender 

 or filiform, 3-anglcd, smooth or nearly so, erect. 

 4'-2 tall. Leaves very narrowly linem: 

 YI" wide, erect, shorter than the culm, the 

 lower very short; sheaths sometimes pubescent; 

 spikelet^ in several separated clusters, the in- 

 florescence simple or sparingly branched. 

 bracts bristle-like; scales glabrous; achene glo- 

 bose, %" in diameter, crustaceous, usually 

 tipped with the base of the style, marked by 

 sharp distinct transverse ridges, or somewhat 

 reticulated by additional longitudinal ridge*; 

 hypogynium none. 



In moist meadows, i-asti-rn Ma*cachu*rtt> ' 

 tario and Michigan, south to Florida T *. and 

 Mi-xico. and in tlu- \\Y-t In 

 the roots, fragrant in drying Jn! 



17. ELYNA Schrad. Fl. Germ, i: 155. 1806. 



Low tufted arctic and mountain sedges, with erect slender mostly leafles* culms, the 

 narrowly linear leaves clustered at the base, and small 2-flowcred spikclct* in a nan- 

 minal cylindric spike. Scales of the spikelct 3 or 4, distinrt. usually only OO c 

 flower-bearing; the staminate flower of 3 stamens, the pistillate of a single pistil 

 or perianth wanting. Style slender, 3-clcft, not jointed to the oblong ormry. 

 obtusely 3-angled, sessile. [Greek, signifying covering, perhaps in allusion to tl 

 ping scales.] 



Four or five species, the following occurring in the arctic and alpine rcfion* of t be nod 



hemisphere, the others in the mountains of Ivuropt- and Asia. 



