20 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



SPECIES VII.— J UNCUS COMMUNIS. E. Meyer. ] 



Plates IMDLX. MDLXI. 



Ca;spitose, growing in circular tufts. Rootstock rather shortly 

 creeping, its branches with the stems placed close together one before 

 the other. Stems numerous, soft, not wiry nor rigid, rather thick, 

 terete, smooth when fresh, finely striate when dry, green, filled with 

 continuous pith. Sheaths leafless, reddish-brown towards the base, 

 scarcely shining. Panicle pseudo-lateral, from the lowest bract resem- 

 bling a continuation of the stem and being much longer than the 

 panicle. Flowers numerous, solitary, arranged in a decompound panicle, 

 with the lower branches spreading, twice or thrice branched, but 

 frequently so short that the inflorescence is reduced to a head. 

 Perianth leaves equal, very narrowly lanceolate, acuminate and very 

 acute, olive-green or light brown, a very little longer than the cap- 

 side. Stamens 3. Capsule oval-tui'binate, trigonous, truncate or 

 emarginate, with or without a minute terminal mucro, pale brown or 

 olive. Seeds very minute, without an appendage. 



Snn-SpEciEs I. — Jimcus conglomeratus. Linn. 



Plate MDLX. ■ 



Beich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. IX. Tab. CCCCVIII. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 34/9. 



Perianth leaves tinged with brown. Anthers strapshaped, nearly 

 as long as their filaments. Capsule AN-ith a minute terminal mucro. 



In wet places. Very common, and universally distributed, though 

 less abundant in the north of Scotland. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer. 



Stems usually numerous, 1 to 3 feet high, readily compressible, with 

 a thick central pith, rather dull green, but not at all glaucous. Panicle 

 in the typical form very compact and resembling a head, but not unfre- 

 quently lax. Perianth leaves scarcely J- inch long, pale olive, more or 

 less tinged with reddish-brown. Capsule nearly as long as the perianth 

 leaves, pale brown, tinged with chestnut towards the apex, with a minute 

 central apiculus, upon which the base of the style is placed Seeds 

 extremely minute, yellowish-brown. 



Common Hush. 



French, Jonc agglomere. German, Geknauelte Binse. 



This species of Rush is used for the same purposes as J. effusus, and the pith inside 

 the Ktems is employed for wicks to small candles, called rushhghts. The Ecv. Gilbert 



