106 ENGLTSTI BOTANY. 



SPECIES XXIV.— C AREX ALPINA. Swartz. 



Plate ]\IDCXXXVI. 



Beich. Jc. PI. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VIII. Tah. CCXXXV. Fig. 588. 



C. Vahlii, Schhihr; Greville in Ens But. Suppl. No. 2G6(3. Bah. Man. Brit. Bot. 



ed. vi. p. 383. Hooh. & Am. Brit. Pi. ed. viii. p. 506. Ktmth, Enum. Plant. 



Vol. II. p. 431 . Koch, Sjn. PI. Germ, et Helv. ed. ii. p. 874. Eeich. 1. c. p. 16. 



Rootstock scarcely cajspitose, with rather .short stolons. Stem erect, 

 slender, wiry, triangular, very rough beneath the lowest spike. Leaves 

 mucli shorter than the stem, narrowly linear, flat, rough on the 

 margins towards the apex, bright deep green, not glaucous; sheaths 

 closed, not filamentous at the margins. Terminal spike male at the 

 base, and sometimes also at the apex, rarely male throughout, sessile 

 or subsessile. Female spikes contiguous, 2 to 3, sessile or subsessile, 

 the lowest with a stalk shorter than the spike, all spreading-ascending, 

 roundish-ovoid. Lowest bract foliaceous, not sheathing, about equal- 

 ling the terminal spike or a little shorter, with 2 small reddish auricles 

 at the base ; second bract extremely short, foliaceous, about as long 

 as its own spike, or more generally scarious. Glumes of the female 

 flowers rliombic-oval, subacvite, reddish-black, with a nearly conco- 

 lorous midrib, and very narrow white ~scarious margins, a little 

 shorter than but nearly as broad as the fruit. Fruit spreading- 

 ascending, sessile, roundish-obovate, slightly compressed-trigonous, 

 scabrous at the top, not ribbed, very pale yellowish-green, very 

 abruptly terminated by an extremely short rough black notched 

 beak about one-tenth the length of the rest of the fruit. Stigmas 3. 

 Xut very pale brown, turbinate-triquetrous, nearly the length of the 

 fruit. 



On damp ledges of rock on high mountains. Very rare. In the 

 corrie of Loch Ceander, above Loch Callater, Aberdeenshire, where 

 it was discovered by Professor Balfour and Dr. Greville in 1830; also 

 in Glen Fiadh, on the south side of Glen Dole, Clova. 



Scotland. Perennial. Summer. 



Plant groNving in small loose tufts emitting short stolons, which ter- 

 minate in a leafy shoot. Stem 3 to 1,5 inches high, with leaves only 

 at the base. Leaves J- inch broad. Terminal spike |- inch long. 

 Lowest female spike \ inch long. Fruit about y'^ inch long. 



The above description applies only to the British specimens, for in 

 Scandinavia it is very variable m size, sometimes 2 feet high; some- 

 times the lower spike is remote from the others — according to Dr. 

 Greville, one of the original specimens collected in Glen Callater had 



