76 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXIII 



of very peculiar geographic distribution since two 

 of the formae hehelatae : C. lejocarpa C. A. Mey., 

 cuid C. circinaia C. A. Mey., are known only from 

 Alaska and Oregon, besides some few stations on 

 the coast of British Columbia. The formae cen- 

 trales on the other hand, are mostly natives of the 

 European Alps and the Himalayas, some very few 

 occurring in Canada, viz: C. peiricosa Dew., and 

 C. Franlflinii Boott., furthermore C. Lemmortn 

 Boott (C. ablata Bail.) occurs at several stations 

 in Canada, Washington, Montana and California. 

 Among the formae desciscentes is the circumpolar 

 C. misandra R. Br., which occurs in the Rocky 

 Mountains of Colorado extending northward 

 through the Canadian provinces. 



Nearly all the American members of the 

 Sphaeridiophorae h ave been collected in Canada, 

 and among the hehetalae C. scirpoidea Michx., 

 with the variety slertochlaena nob., is quite extens- 

 ively distributed. The Greenland C. deflexa 

 Hornem., occurs in Canada, but is generally con- 

 founded with C. Rossii Boott. ; however, these two 

 species are easily distinguished, since the culms of 

 C. Rossii are aphyllopodic, those of C. deflexa, on 

 the other hand, phyllopodic. 



The rather large and coarse species of the 

 Trichocarpae are in Canada represented by C. 

 riparia Curt., var lacustris Willd., C. trichocarpa 

 Muhl., with the var. aristaia (R. Br.) Bail, C. 

 fdiform'.s. L., C. lanuginosa Michx., and the very 

 characteristic C. Houghtonii Torn These species 

 are, however, of a very ordinary structure, but 

 readily distinguished by the perigynium being of a 

 brownish or dark green color, more or less turgid, 

 pubescent and attenuated into a bidentate beak with 

 the sharp teeth spreading. 



Of greater interest is the grex H ymenochlaenae. 

 Here we meet with some formae hehelatae: C. 

 Sleudelii Kunth, C. Willdenoxvii Schk., and C. 

 Baclfii Boott, of which the flowerbearing culms 

 are ramified in exactly the same manner as in the 

 Indicae, the Vigneastra of Tuckerman.'' The more 

 evolute types resemble, on the other hand, Carices 

 genuinae in general, but they are mostly light green, 

 with the spikes long-peduncled and drooping. The 

 best known are, for instance, C. arctata Boott, C. 

 debilis Michx., C. longirostris Torr., C. flexilis 

 Rudge, C. capillaris L., C. assiniboinensis W. 

 Boott, and the singular, very conspicuous, C. 

 amplifolia Boott. The presence of these species in 

 Canada thus illustrate the fact of the morphological 

 structure of the flower bearing stem being identical 

 with that of certain members of the highly developed 



'iflolm. Tht'O., Stu(li<s in the Cyperaceae, XIII 

 Carf'X \\'ill(l<-nowii an<I its allies (Am. Jour, of Sc.. 

 Vol. X. .lulv. IMO. p. :{3). 



Indicae, as pointed out above, in C. Willdenoivii 

 for instance. In passing to the Spirostachyae, only 

 a few are known from this continent, and some few 

 of these from Caneda, viz: C. Oederi. Retz., C. 

 flava L., C. squarrosa L., and the very rare C. 

 fulva Good., the last of which being less rare in 

 Europe. 



As representing the most evolute of the greges 

 we have the Echinostach^ae, Physocarpae and 

 Rhynchophorae. In these the perigynium is thin, 

 membranaceous and inflated. In the Echinos- 

 iach^ae the pistillate spikes are peduncled, drooping 

 and squarrose at maturity, the beak of the peri- 

 gynium is quite distinct bidentate. 



Two small monostachyous species: C. microg- 

 lochin Wahlenb., and C. pauciflora Lightf., repre- 

 sent formae hebetaiae, and both occur in Canada. 

 Among the formae centrales we meet with the very 

 slender C. subulata Michx., and the much more 

 conspicuous C. pseudocyperus L., C. Scbweinitzii 

 Dew., C. h^stricina Muehl, and C. rotrorsa 

 Schweinnitz, all well known in Canada, with the 

 exception of C. SchTveinitzii, which is very rare. 



Characteristic of the Physcocarpae is the peri- 

 gynium having a very short, mostly emarginate 

 beak, and the pistillate spikes not being squarrose, 

 moreover the scale of the pistillate flower is lanceo- 

 late, acuminate, but lacks the mucro or arista of 

 the two other greges. It is an interesting grex, and 

 widely distributed in Canada, but several of the 

 species are, sometimes, difficult to identify, especially 

 those with the dark colored perigynia, for instance: 

 C. pulla Good., C. physocarpa Presl., C. compacia 

 R. Br., and C. rotundaia Wahlenb. They are 

 very graceful species with the shining, dark brown 

 spikes frequently peduncled and drooping. Of a 

 more robust habit and with the spikes of a lighter 

 color are C. utriculata Boott., occurring in num- 

 berless forms throughout Canada, furthermore C. 

 vesicaria L., C. oligosperma Michx., and a few 

 others. 



Finally the grex Rh\)nchophorae characterized 

 by the large, erect or ascending perigynia, much in- 

 flated, strongly nerved and terminated by a prom- 

 inent, bidentate beak. The species are tall, and 

 of the same habit as those of the two former greges 

 and like these they are inhabitants of borders of 

 p>onds, creeks and wet swamps. The grex begins 

 with some formae hebelatae, C. Michauxiana 

 Bcecklr., and C. folliculata L., passing from these 

 into C. inlumescens Rudge, and C. Gra^ii Carey, 

 of a similar but much more robust habit, while the 

 more ordinary forms, such as C. lupulina Muehl., 

 C. lurida Wahlenb., C. Tucl^ermannii Boott, and 

 C. monile Tuckm., may be considered as the most 



