118 MONOECIA— TRIANDRIA. Carex. 



vioribus erectis non compactis. Moris, v. 3. 243. Dill, in Rail 

 Syn. 418. 



In marshes, and wet shady places, not rave. 



Perennial. Maij, June. 



Root creeping, but short, composing dense entangled tufts, which 

 gradually become firm, so as to be walked upon, like C. pani- 

 culata, n. 20 ; and not at all resembling the long straggling 

 roots of C. rigida. The plant is well known in Sweden for its 

 property of filling up boggy ground, changing it to green mea- 

 dows, of which Linnaeus gives a remarkable account, Fl. Suec. 

 ed. 2. 333. Stems erect, from 6 to 12 inches, or more, in height, 

 leafless except at the bottom, triangular, striated ; the angles 

 rough in the upper part only. Leaves numerous, shorter than 

 the stems, quite straight and upright, soft and flexible, linear, 

 acute, bright-green, scarcely glaucous, rough at the edges and 

 keel, about one third the breadth of the foregoing ; their sheaths 

 less remarkably permanent, of a dark red brown. Bracteas leafy, 

 erect, narrow and tapering, from 1 to 3, or even 6 inches in 

 length ; without any sheaths, but accompanied at the base by a 

 pair of rounded, short, dark-brown auricles, very variable in 

 size, but never elongated. Fertile catkins almost invariably 3, 

 sessile, a little distant, erect, cylindrical, obtuse, dense and 

 thick, an inch long, seldom so shortened as to become ovate ; 

 the lowermost, in some foreign specimens at least, very lax in 

 its lower part, and supported by a long slender stalk. Scales 

 obovate, obtuse, black, with a narrow green rib. Barren catkin 

 mostly single, rarely accompanied by a small one at a little 

 distance, erect, lanceolate, acute, about an inch long, formed of 

 numerous, crowded, obtuse, dark-brown scales. Stam. 3. Siigm. 

 2, nearly sessile. Fruit longer than the scales, elliptical, broad, 

 compressed almost flat, green, smooth, ribbed on both sides, 

 having no central longitudinal angle at the inner side, so as to 

 be even bluntly triangular, but instead of it there is a double 

 keel, or thickened margin, at one of the edges. This affbrds of 

 itself an essential diff'erence from the last. Beak extremely 

 short, brownish, abrupt, or minutely cloven. Seed compressed. 

 The fruit is observed by the Bishop of Carlisle to remain on the 

 stalk till it is quite ripe, and even decayed, which is not the 

 case with the following. It is usually set in 6 rows, rarely in 8, 



51. C. stricta. Glaucous straight-leaved Carex. 



Stigmas two. Sheaths none. Fertile catkins nearly ses- 

 sile, erect, cylindrical, elongated, acute ; often barren- 

 flowered at the top. Bases of the leaves reticulated. 

 Fruit elhptical, fiat, with a short cloven beak, deciduous. 



C, stricta, Gooden. Tr. ofL. Sac. v. 2. 196. t. 21. f. 9. FL Br.lOOO. 



