104 ENGLISH TIOTANY. 



Var. 3, bractcata. 

 C. argjToglocliiii, London Catalogue (non Horn em.). 



Bract of the lowest spikelet foliaceous, longer than the spike. 



In meadows and marshes. Common and universally distributed. 

 Var. 3, Castle-Morton Common, Worcestershire, Mr. T. Westcombe. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial Summer. 



Stems 6 inches to 1 foot high, ascending, 2 to 12 in each tuft. 

 Spike f to 1 inch long, usually of 4 spikelets, J- to |- inch long. 

 Fruit ^ inch long, very unlike that of any other British Carex. 



Of var. /3 I have seen no specimens except those collected by Mr. 

 AVestcombe ; they have the stem 2 to 4 inches long, the spikes ^ to ^ 

 inch long, consisting of 2 to 4 spikelets, the lowest bract 1|^ to 2 

 inches long. 



The form with silvery glumes (C. argyroglochin, Hornem.) has not 

 occurred in Britain, so far as I knoAV. 



Oval- spiked Sedge. 



Fi'ench, Carex leporina. German, Haseiipfoten Segge. 



Section III.-HETEROSTACHY.E. Fries. 



Flowers arranged in separate spikes, the terminal spike male or 

 androgynous, the lateral spikes female and commonly stalked: some- 

 times 1 or more of the uppermost lateral spikes mule. 



Group M ATRATyE. 



Rootstock ca?spitose or subca^spitose, or shortly creeping, often 

 stoloniferous. Spike.? approximate or subapproximate, the uppermost 

 one androgynous, male at the base, rarely wholly male. Lateral 

 spikes wholly female, ovoid, sessile or shortly stalked, dense. Glumes 

 dark. Lowest bract shortly foliaceous, without a closed sheath. Fruit 

 pale, sessile or substipitate, depressed-trigonous, not inflated or but 

 slightly so, with an extremely short notched beak. Stigmas 3. Nut 

 trigonous or triquetrous. 



SPECIES XXIIL— CAREX ATRATA. Linn. 



Plate MDCXXXV. 



Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VIII. Tab. CCXXXVH. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 2.568. 



Rootstock cajspitose, with very shoi-t stolons. Stem erect, slender, 

 triangular, smooth, or very sliglitly rougli inmiediately beneath the 



