Plants around Wilmington j JV". C 



139 



(53) Fuirena sguarrosa, Mx, Stem 12-20 inches 

 high, angled, furrowed, hairy at the summit, whole plant 

 very hairy and pubescent when young ; Leaves 2-4 

 inches long, ciliate, pubescent above, smooth beneath ; 

 Sheaths short, closed, smooth, the lowest leafless; Scales 

 of the ament obovate, hairy or pubescent, with 3 central 

 combined nerves extending into an awn from below the 

 summit, which is shorter than the scale, ciliate and re- 

 curved ; Betae 3, alternating with the involucels, about as 

 long as the pedicel of the seed ; Involucels pedicellate, 

 oval or oblong, unawned, sometimes abruptly acute, 

 longer than the seed; Stamens twice as long as the invo- 

 lucels ; Seed triangular, pedicelled* 



Hab. open swamps. Flowers July — September. 



This is certainly the aspect of the plant in which 

 Michaux has described it, . " Paleis pistillinis petiolato- 

 spathulatis, muticis ; interjectis totidem setulis brembtiSy' 

 Mx. I have not seen it described thus any wTiere else, 

 except in the Encyc. Methodique, " les ecailles de la 

 corolle oblongues, sans arete." I have been disposed to 

 consider the plant described by other botanists under this 

 name a distinct species. Specimens collected in Massa- 

 chusetts differ as follows : Setae equalling the involucels, 

 hispid ; Involucels lanceolate, acuminated into a long 

 awn, acute at base, twice as long as the seed ; Stamens 

 longer than the Involucels, equal to the style with the 

 stigmas. This is F- hispida, Ell! Still the plant is so 

 variously described by authors as to excite a doubt if it is 

 not subject to considerable variety. Our plant, I have 

 never found havbg an awned involucel, in any stage of 

 its grow^th. 



(54) BJiynchospora trijldra. Stem 10-18 inches high, 

 setaceous, triangular, leafy at base, glabrous ; Leaves 



^t. 



