66 Cyperaceae 



what lateral, 8-20 mm. long, linear or linear-oblong; scales with 

 brown margins appressed, coriaceous, obtuse, shining; stamens 

 generally 3; style 2-cleft, scarcely exserted; achene lenticular, 

 oblong or oblong-ovate, somewhat pointed, dull. (C. diandrus 

 castaneus of the Bot. Cal.) 



Occasional in moist sandy places on river bottoms. Los Angeles; San 

 Bernardino. 



2. C. laevigatus L. Perennial, with slender creeping rhizomes ; 

 stems tufted, slender, 8-15 cm. high, terete, with 2-3 short brown 

 sheaths at the base, the upper bearing a short, erect, subtriangu- 

 lar leaf, otherwise naked ; involucre of usually 2 leaf-like bracts, 

 1 a continuation of the stem, erect, the other spreading, 3 cm. 

 long or less; umbel sessile, capitate, apparently lateral ; spikelets 

 sessile, many-flowered, 4-6 mm. long, pale green; scales broad, 

 obtuse, about 2 mm. long; rachis deeply pitted transversely; 

 stamens 3; style 2-cleft; achene broadly obovate, 12 mm. long. 



Occasional in moist places about Los Angeles and San Bernardino. 



3. C. inflexus Muhl. Stems very slender, tufted, 3-15 cm. 

 high ; leaves 2 mm. wide or less, nearly equaling the stems, those 

 of the involucre 2-3, exceeding the umbel ; umbel sessile, usually 

 capitate; spikelets linear-oblong, 4-6 mm. long, 6-10-flowered ; 

 scales pale brown, lanceolate, firm, tapering into a long recurved 

 awn ; stamen 1 ; style 3-cleft ; rachis narrowly winged, the wings 

 persistent; achene 3-angled, narrowly obovoid or oblong, obtuse, 

 mucronulate. (C. aristatus Boeckl.) 



In moist sandy soil. Laguna, San Joaquin Hills, Orange County; Bear 

 Valley, San Bernardino Mountains. 



4. C. esculentus L. Perennial by scaly horizontal tuber-bear- 

 ing rootstocks; stems rather stout, 3-6 dm. high; leaves light 

 green, 4-8 mm. wide, usually longer than the stem, with promi- 

 nent midvein, those of the involucre 3-6, the longer much exceed- 

 ing the umbel ; umbel 4-10-rayed, usually compound ; spikelets 

 numerous in loose spikes, straw-colored or yellowish brown, 

 spreading, 12-24 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, many-flowered ; scales 

 ovate-oblong, subacute, 3-5-nerved; rachis narrowly winged; 

 stamens 3; style 3-cleft; achene obovoid, obtuse, 3-angled. 



Frequent in river bottoms about Los Angeles, Santa Ana and San Ber- 

 nardino. 



5. C. erythrorhizos Muhl. Annual; stems tufted, usually 

 rather stout, 2-6 dm. high ; leaves 3-8 mm. wide, equaling or ex- 



