CYPEBACEiE. 145 



remote, the lowest on long very greatly exsertcd capillary stalks, and 

 the upper spikes on short but exserted stalks, at length drooping or 

 arching-pendulous, cylindrical, rather lax, many-flowered. Bracts 

 sheathing, foliaccous, their lamina shorter than its own spike, and not 

 nearly reaching the apex of the male spike. Glumes of the female 

 flowers lanceolate, acuminate and acute, very pale reddish brown, with 

 a very broad green stripe on the back, and reddish-white scarious 

 mai'gins, ultimately nearly wholly white, a little shorter and a little 

 narrower than the fruit. Fruit erect, scarcely stipitate, elliptical, 

 acuminated at both ends, triquetro-trigonous, scarcely inflated, with 

 a few obsolete ribs and 2 strong marginal ones, slightly sinning, 

 ohve-green, gradually narrowed into a very long nearly straight tri- 

 gonous-cjdindrical smooth or scarcely rough-edged 2-toothed herba- 

 ceous-mouthed beak as long as the rest of the fruit. Stigmas 3. Nut 

 pale olive, not stipitate, elliptical, triqueti'ous, rather gradually acumi- 

 nated into a short apiculus, and closely covered by the perigynium. 



In woods. Common, and generally distributed in England and the 

 south of Scotland ; rare in the north, reaching to Lanark and !Moray. 

 Frequent throughout Ireland. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Sunmier. 



Stems 8 inches to 2 feet high, solid. Leaves ^ to |- inch broad ; 

 sheaths of those on the stem with a rounded or acute-angled sinus 

 opposite the lamina, sometimes with a very slight indication of a 

 tendency to be produced into 2 lobes. Male spike |- to 1 inch long. 

 Female spikes I to 2 inches long. Fruit I inch long. 



C. sylvatica has sometimes the male spike with female flowers at 

 the base, and the female spikes with male flowers at tlie apex, as is 

 constantly the case in C. Linkii, Schkuhr., a species which on that 

 account has been referred to the section Homostachyaj, with utter 

 disregard to its natural aflinities. 



C. sylvatica may be knoA\m from C. loBvigata, one of the Fidocc, by 

 the beak of the fruit not being flattened and rough at the margin as 

 in the latter. 



It has often been mistaken for C. strigosa, but the leaves on the 

 barren shoots are much narrower, the sheaths of the stem leaves are 

 destitute of prominent lobes opposite the lamina, and the fruit with- 

 out ribs and with a long beak is quite different from that of C. 

 strigosa. 



Pendulous Wood Sedge. 



French, Carcx tlcti hois. German, Wald-Seijge. 



VOL. X. 



