582 cyperace^e. (sedge family.) 



nearly smooth, except at the top. (C acuta, var. vulgaris, L. C. ca?spitbsa, 

 of authors.) — Wet banks, &c. New England to Wisconsin and northward. — 

 Grows in small patches (not in dense tufts like No. 50), and varies in height 

 from 3' to 18', with narrow leaves shorter than the culm. (Eu.) The follow- 

 ing may be appended. 



47\ C. limula, Fries 1 Fertile spikes less approximate or rather remote ; 

 their bracts surpassing the culm (at least the lowest) and with rougher margins; 

 leaves longer and more numerous at the base of the rougher culm; perigynia 

 nerveless ; stigmas often 3 : otherwise like C. vulgaris. — E. New England, near 

 Boston, W. Boott, who rather doubtfully identifies it with the Lapland plant. 

 The specimens in Herb. Suec. Norm, differ in their flat leaves, and narrower, 

 longer, and even pointed scales. (Eu.) 



48. C. aquatilis, Wahl. Sterile spikes commonly 2-3; the fertile 3-5, 

 cylindrical^ inclining to club-shaped, erect, densely-flowered, sessile, or the lower on 

 very short stalks ; bracts long, 1-2 lowest exceeding the culm ; perigynia obovate- 

 elliptical, stalked, nerveless, with a very short entire point about the length of the 

 lanceolate scale ; culm smooth, not much exceeding the pale-green glaucous 

 leaves. — Margins of lakes and rivers, New England to Wisconsin, and north- 

 ward. — Robust, 2°-3° high; the thick fertile spikes l'-3' long. (Eu.) 



b. Leaves with more or less revolute margins when dry ; sheaths at length fibrillose, 

 i. e. ivhen old splitting up or resolved more or less into slender parallel or loosely 

 reticulated fibres. 



49. C. torta, Boott. Sterile spikes 1-2, commonly 1 , fertile 3-4, elongated, 

 narroicly-eylindrical or slightly club-shaped, loosely few-flowered at the base, occasion- 

 ally more or less staminate at the apex, the lower on smooth slender stalks, 

 spreading or drooping ; bracts with oblong auricles, or very slightly sheathing, the 

 lowest about the length of the culm, the rest bristle-shaped, shorter than their 

 respective spikes ; perigynia elliptical, short-stalked, tapering to a distinct point, 

 with a minutely notched or jagged membranaceous orifice, very smooth, nerve- 

 less, the empty tips spreading or obliquely recurved at maturity, scarcely exceeding 

 the narrow obtuse scale ; achenium broadly obovate, much shorter than the 

 perigynium ; culm very smooth, leaves short, slightly rough on the margin only. 

 (C. acuta, var. sparsiflora, Dew. ?) — Rills and wet banks, N. New England, New 

 York, &c, and along the mountains from Penn. southward. — Well marked by 

 its smooth flaccid culm (12' -18' high), soft and short grassy leaves, and the 

 tortuous empty apex of the perigynium. 



50. C. ap6rta, Boott. Sterile spikes 1 - 2, oblong-cylindrical, acute ; fer- 

 tile 2-4, oblong, erect, the uppermost approximate and sessile ; the lower distant and 

 short-stalked, staminate at the apex, or often entirely fertile ; lowest bract about 

 the length of the culm, with oblong brown auricles, or very slightly sheathing, 

 the xipper bristle-shaped, shorter than the spikes ; perigynia roundish-ovate, stalked, 

 without nerves, covered with very minute transparent dots, and sometimes very 

 slightly rough at the apex, with an abrupt very short, notched orifice, broader and 

 ■much shorter than the lanceolate pointed brown scale ; culm sharply triangular, smooth 

 below, exceeding the rough sharp-pointed leaves. — Wet meadows, Rhode Island 

 and Mass. to Illinois and far westward. — Culm 1°- 2° high, with commonly 



