CYPEUACEiE. 105 



lowest spike. Leaves shorter than the stem, broadly linear, flat, 

 sliglitly rough on the margins towards the apex, bright deep green, 

 not glaucous; sheaths closed, not filamentous. Terminal spike male 

 at the base, rarely also at the apex or male throughout, stalked. 

 Female spikes rather approximate, 2 to 4, shortly stalked, tlie lowest 

 with a stalk about the length of the spike, at length drooping, oval- 

 or oblong-ovoid. Lowest bract foliaceous, not sheathing, equalling 

 or exceeding the terminal spike, vdth 2 small concolorous auricles 

 at the base; second bract also foliaceous, but shorter than its own 

 spike. Glumes of the female flowers ovate, acute, reddish-black, 

 with or without a paler midrib and concolorous margins, as long as 

 but narrower than the fruit. Fruit ascending-erect, sessile, broadly 

 oval, plano-convex-trigonous, smooth, not ribbed, very pale green, 

 very abruptly narrowed into a very short smooth black slightly 

 notched beak about one-tenth the length of the rest of the fruit. 

 Stigmas 3. Nut pale brown, oval-obovate, triquetrous, not half the 

 length of the fruit. 



On ledges of rock on high mountains. In England it is known 

 to occur only in Carnarvon. In Scotland in Dumfries, and the 

 Scotch Highlands: frequent on the Breadalbane and Clova Moun- 

 tains; spaiTugly on Loch-na-gar and Ben ]\Iacdhui in Braemar. 



England, Scotland. Perennial. Summer. 



Plant growing in rather small tufts. Stems 9 inches to 2 feet high, 

 leafy only at the base. Leaves about {- inch broad, flat, with a central 

 furrow and a keel beneath. Inflorescence* usually li to 2 inches long. 

 Terminal spike about ^ inch long; lowest female spike ^ to f inch 

 long. Fruit i- inch long. 



A very handsome species, readily distinguished from the other 

 Atratcc by its drooping lateral spikes, with dark-coloured glumes, 

 beyond the edges of which the pale fruit ap])ears. Sometimes the 

 lowest bract is ))laced at a little distance beneath the lowest spike 



!Mr. H. C. Watson mentions a form produced in his garden from 

 a root brought from the Grampians, in which " the terminal spike was 

 almost entirely male and cylindrical, 4 inferior spikes of female flowers 

 with a few males interspersed, cylindrical or oblong-erect, and placed 

 rather distantly one below another, the lowest about 3 inches beneath 

 the terminal male spike." (Phyt. ser. i. vol. iii. p. 454.) 



Black Sedge. 



French, Carez en detiil. German, Schwdrzliche Segge. 



* Measuring from the bottom of the stalk of the lowest spike to the apex of t^e 

 terminal spike. 



VOL. X. P 



