OsDBa 155. CYPERACKdE. 731 



CLASS IV. OLUMIFER.E. 



Plants of the endogenous structure, having the flowers invested 

 with an imbricated perianth of alternate glumes instead of 

 sepals and petals, and collected into spikelets, spikes or heads. 

 The Class is equivalent to the 



COHOKT 7. GRAMINOIDE^E. 



ORDER CLV. CYPERACE^E. THE SEDGES. 



Herbs grass-like or rush-like, with fibrous roots and solid culms. Leaves mostly 

 linear, channeled, arising from entire or tubular sheaths. Flowers spiked, perfect or 

 diclinous, one in the axil of each glume. Perianth none, or represented by a few 

 hypogynous bristles (setce), or a cup-shaped or a sac-shaped perigynium. Stamens 

 definite (1 to 12), mostly 3. Anth. fixed by their base, 2-celled. Ovary 1-celled, 

 with an anatropous, erect ovule, forming in fruit a utricle. Embryo enclosed in the 

 base of the albumen. 



Genera 120, species 2000. The Sedges abound in almost all climes of the globe, and in all 

 localities, but are more common in the meadows, marshes and swamps of the temperate zones. 

 About 40 genera and 400 species are known in North America. 



Properties. They are in general little used for food or in the arts. Their coarse herbage is 

 often eaten by cattle, but they are nearly destitute of the sweet and nutritions properties of the 

 grasses. The" leaves of some of the larger species are used in Italy to bind flasks, and in weaving 

 the bottoms of chairs. Yet, although of so little apparent value, their vast numbers authorize 

 the belief that they subserve many highly important ends in the economy of nature. 



TRIBES AND GENERA. 

 TRIBE 1. CYPERE^I. Glumes distychous (2-rowed). Flowers perfect (*) 



* Inflorescence axillary. Perigynium or perianth of 6 to 10 setae DULICHIUM. 1 



* Inflorescence terminal. Perigynium none. Spikes 2 to 00 -flowered. CYPERPS. 2 



Spikes 1-flowered, capitate KYLLINGIA. 3 



TEIBE 2. SCIBPEJ2. Glumes imbricated in several rows, each (except some- 

 times the lowest) flower bearing. Inflorescence wholly terminal or wholly lat- 

 eral (never both). Flowers perfect. (*) 



* Perianth of 3 ovate petals and (often) of 3 setae FCTBKKA. 4 



* Perianth of 3 to oo hypogynous setae, (a) 



a Achenium crowned with a tubercle. Spike solitary, terminal ELEOCHARK. 5 



a Achenium not tuberc. Setae 3 to 6, short, or else tawny. Spikes 1 to 00 ... SCIRPUS. 6 

 Setae CO (rarely 6), long, white, cottony ERIOPUORUM. 7 



* Perianth 0. Style 2-cleft, smooth. Spikes 2 to 3, lateral HEMUIAKPHA. S 



Spikes CO, in a terminal head LIPOCARPHA. 9 



Style 2-cleft, ciliolate. Spikes 5 to 10, terminal FIMBRISTYLIS. 9 



Style 3-cleft, smooth. Achenium 3-angled TEICHELOSTYLIS. 10 



TRIBE 3. RHYNCIIOSPOEE^E. Glumes imbricated in several rows, many 

 of the lowest empty. Inflorescence both terminal and axillary (except in No, 

 12). Flowprs perfect or diclinous, (c) 

 C Achenia crowned with the persistent style or its bulbous base, (d) 



d Perianth none (no setae). Spikes diffusely cymous PSTLOCARYA. 11 



Spikes capitate. Bracts colored DICHROMEXA. 12 



d Perianth of setae. Achen. tubercnlate with the base of the style EHTNCUOSPORA. 13 



Achenium horned with the entire long style.. .CERATOSCIKBXUS. 14 



C Achenia not tnbercu'lale brown like the scales. Seta? none CLAIMCM. 15 



white or whitish, crustaceous. Setsa none SCLERIA. 16 



