CYPEBACEJE lfi7 



SPECIES LXIL— CAREX RIP ARIA. Curt. 



Plate MUCLXXIX. 



n.vcli. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Ilflv. Vol. VIII. Tab. CCLXVin. 

 lilllut, FI. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 2160. 



Hootstock extensively creeping, with long stolons. Stem erect, 

 Ic'iify throughout, very stout, stiff, acutely triquetrous, rough in the 

 u[iper |)ai-t. Leaves a little shorter than the stem, rather firm, very 

 broadly linear, flat, rough on the margins, bright green above, 

 glaucous beneath. Male spikes 2 to 5, fusiform-cylindrical, acute, 

 ■n-ith very long lanceolate-acuminate purplish-brown (fading to pale 

 brown) glumes, all of which are very acute: anthers terminated by a 

 niucro as long as the width of the anther. Female spikes 3 or 4, 

 rather remote, the lowest ones shortly stalked, the rest subsessile or 

 sessile, erect, more rarely drooping and slightly arching, thickly 

 cylindrical or cyhndrical-fusifonn, subacute (from there being a few 

 l)an-en flowers at the apex), very dense, very many-flowered. Bracts 

 not sheathing, foliaceous, the lowest one with a long foliaceous lamina 

 exceeding the male spike. Glumes of the female flowers lanceolate, 

 acuminate, with subulate smooth points, dark purplish-bro'wn, with 

 narrow green midribs, longer but narrower than the fruit. Fruit spread- 

 ing-ascendiug, ultimately spreading, substipitate, ovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, conico-trigonous, greatly inflated, rather strongly ribbed, 

 glabrous, slightly shming, pale yellowish-brown, gradually narrowed 

 into a short straight smooth 2-toothed beak, about one-fourth the length 

 of the rest of the fruit ; teeth rather short, diverging. Stigmas 3. 

 Nut pale yellow, oval-obovate, trigono-triquetrous. 



In wet meadows and by the sides of ditches, streams, and lakes. 

 Rather common. Generally distributed in England. Rare in Scotland, 

 and not known to occur north of Banft'. Local and rather rare, but 

 widely distributed in Ireland. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Early Summer. 



Very similar to C. paludosa, with which it is frequently confounded, 

 I)Ut a stouter plant. Leaves |^ to f inch broad. Terminal male spike 

 1 Jr to 2 inches long, thicker in the middle than that of C. paludosa, 

 more acute, and with longer and much more acute glumes. Lowest 

 female spike 2 to 3 inches long or more, and as thick as a man's little 

 finger. Fruit ^ to J inch long, consequently nmch larger than that 

 of C. paludo.<n, and paler in colour, especially when young, at which 

 ])criod it is considerably tinged with yellow; beak of the fruit with 

 much longer teeth in C. riparia than in C. paludosa. 



