Description of three New Carices. 23 



eter. Perigynia crowded, deflexed, smooth and shining. 9 lines 

 in length, 25-30 nerved, tapering into a long perfectly glabrous 

 beak. Achenium obtusely triangular, minutely dotted under a 

 lens, crowned with the long continuous style. 



Dr. Gray, who first detected this plant on the banks of the 

 Mohawk at Utica, and described it as a variety of C. intumescens, 

 Budge, remarks, that it " is characterized by its larger and coarser 

 habit, and by its globose, many-flowered pistillate spikes. It 

 flowers a month later than the ordinary form of the species, and 

 when young might readily be mistaken for C. lupulina." To 

 this may be added, that C. intumescens, owing to the scarcely 

 exserted peduncles, has the loose, few- (5-8-) flowered spikes 

 closely approximate, so as to be almost indistinguishable ; and 

 the perigynia are erect, much shorter, (6-7 lines long,) slightly 

 serrulate towards the apex of the beak, and only 15-^20-nerved. 

 Though closely resembling C. intumescens, these constant char- 

 acters and a marked difference in aspect, appear to entitle this 

 plant to rank as a species.* 



Carex platyphylla : spicis 4 ; mascula 1 erecta gracili pe- 

 dunculata ; femineis 3 erectis filiformibus laxe 3-4-floris incluse 

 pedunculatis, suprema masculas approximata, caeteris remotis foii- 

 oso-braeteatis ; bracteis spicas paulo superantibus ; stigmatibus 3 ; 

 perigyniis triquetris ovalibus striatis brevissime rostellatis squa- 

 mam ovatam hyalinam acutam vel mucronatam subagquantibus, 

 ore obliquo integro. 



Hab. In declivibus umbrosis, Nov. Angl. et Nov. Ebor. 



Culms numerous, leafless, 8-12 inches long, slender, somewhat 

 ancipital, smooth, diffusely spreading and prostrate in fruit. 

 Leaves all radical, \-\ inch in breadth, 4-6 inches long, fiat, pale 

 green or whitish, striate throughout with very fine and close 

 nerves, three of them more conspicuous. Fertile spikes generally 

 3, erect, %-% of an inch in length, with a few distant alternate 

 flowers, subtended by leafy sheathing bracts, which are not much 

 longer than the spikes. Perigynia triquetrous, finely striate, nar- 

 rowed at the apex, with a minute oblique point : scale of a light 

 chestnut color, with a green keel and scarious margins. 



This plant, though not uncommon in shady ravines, has been 

 hitherto confounded either with the large leaved form of C. an- 

 ceps, Muhl, or with C. retrocurva, Dew., from both of which, 

 however, it is quite distinct. It forms, with C. plantaginea, Lam., 

 and C. Careyana, Dew., a well marked subsection, (Planta- 

 ginece.) which may be characterized by the few-flowered, erect 



upper 



all on 



* Since the foregoing description was in type, I have seen specimens from Co- 

 lumbus, Ohio, collected by Mr. Sullivant. 



