140 85. CYPERACEiE. 



the vulgar weeds, too common to draw more than a mo- 

 ment's passing attention. And yet, when its true distri- 

 bution comes to be inquired into, we find its place clearly 

 below or above (whichever term may best suit the indivi- 

 dual botanist) the class of the most general and common. 

 Let us suppose that, instead of being uni'ecorded from 

 the two most northerly provinces, it still remained un- 

 known in provinces 1 and 3, or in 3 and 4, at the southern 

 extremity of Britain, — in such case it might probably 

 have been classed among the " plantse raiiores," and have 

 found admission into the original Botanist's Guide, at 

 least, if not into the New Guide likewise. Other plants 

 even of wider generality in their distribution, than is the 

 Carex hii'ta, found place in one or both of the Guides, on 

 account of southern scarcity ; for examj)le, Geum rivale, 

 Gentiana campestris, Gnaphalium sylvaticimi, in the Old 

 Guide. The next species, Carex ampullacea, afi"ords us a 

 more striking example of the fact, that individual experi- 

 ence will not make a true division between rare and com- 

 mon plants, for that species was a " rare plant " according 

 to the ideas of Turner and Dillwyn, and barely missed 

 inclusion in the New Guide, by the test of local Floras, 

 although we shall see it below in the highest provincial 

 class of generality. 



1258. Cahex ampullacea, Good. 



Area general. 



South limit in Cornwall, Isle of Wight, Kent. 

 North limit in Shetland, Orknej^ Hebrides. 

 Estimate of provinces 18. Estimate of counties 80. 

 Latitude 50 — 61. British type of distribution. 

 A. A. regions. Inferagrarian — Midarctic zones. 



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