oOn CYPEEACE.E. [Carcx . 



scabrous at the summit, naked or leafless to within a short distance of their base. 

 Leaves in all my specimens extremely narrow, not exceeding a line in breadth, 

 quite erect, various in length, much shorter than or nearly as tall as the culm, a 

 little rigid, pale somewhat glaucnus-green, acutely taper-pointed, roughish on the 

 edges and near the tips, with a narrow, sharp, dorsal rib or keel, corresponding to 

 a deep groove or channel, on the upper side ; their sheaths whitish, close, not fila- 

 mentous in my specimens, nor does this character appear to be constant. Bracts 

 fuliaceous, erect, narrower than in C. stricta, the lower one reaching to the 

 summit of the culm or a little overtopping it, the higher one very much shorter, 

 often more so than the spike it subtends, both with small, rounded, dark-coloured 

 auricles at the base. Staminate spikes solitary or with an accessory minute one a 

 little below, slender, its scales blackish brown, rounded, obtuse or partly pointed, 

 especially the upper ones, strongly keeled. Pistillate spikes mostly but 2 in my 

 specimens, lanceolate, acute (from the occurrence of barren flowers at the sum- 

 mit), upper one sessile, the lower very shortly stalked, their glumes similar to 

 those of the staminate spikes, but flatter, more uniformly rounded and pointless, a 

 few of the lowermost chiefly somewhat acute: this conformation of the glumes is 

 at variance with the accounts of all authors, who describe them as acute, but they 

 are scarcely represented so in Goodenough's own plate, which must be regarded 

 as authoritative. Stigmas 2. Perigynes much longer but scarcely broader than 

 the glumes, blackish or purplish brown, sessile, the upper ovate, the lower ovato- 

 lanceolale, flat on the inner, slightly convex on the outer, face, tapering gradually 

 into the short, cylindrical, abrupt beak, which in my specimens is not beset with 

 the minute spinules observed in this species by Mr. Wilson. 



The variety y. is remarkable for the very short and broad spikes, and the dark 

 colour of the perigynes, which are scarcely distinguishable from the glumes in the 

 dried state. 



17. C. stricta, Good. Straight-leaved Sedge. " Spikes erect, 

 barren 1 or more, fertile subsessile elongato-cylindrical, bracts 

 auriclecl, lowermost leaf- like short, fruit obloBg- elliptical acute 

 compressed on both sides nerved closely imbricated with a short 

 entire beak, nut roundish obovate blunt with a short beak, sheath 

 of the leave connected by filamentous net-work." — Bab. Man. p. 

 362. E. B. t. 914. C. csespitosa, Br. Fl. p. 495. 



In marshy places and shallow pools, Fl. April — June. If. 



Freshwater gate in several places, particularly by the ditch to the right on 

 passing the gate leading from the meadows towards the shore, 1840: certainly 

 the true C. .stricta. Good., with broad leaves filamentous at the base, fruit in eight 

 rows, spike long, cylindrical and nearly erect. 



Perigynes densely imbricated in 8 rows, as remarked by Mr. W. Wilson, in 

 cylindrical, erect, rather obtuse spikes, 2 — 2^ inches in length, shortly pedicellate, 

 at first a little erect, hut when ripe spreading horizontally and becoming yellow- 

 ish or brownish green, ovate, attenuated at both ends, strongly compressed on 

 each side, thickly and most minutely gtanulato-striate, otherwise quite glabrous, 

 tapering shortly but not suddenly into a short, blunt, entire, brownish beak, either 

 with or without a few minute spines just below the point. Nut acutely trique- 

 trous, pale brown, with greenish angles, the intermediate faces plane or a little 

 depressed. 



18. C. acuta, L. Slender-spiked Sedge. " Spikelets cylindri- 

 cal elongated slender, barren 1 — 3, fertile 3 — 4 more or less 

 remote and barren at top, lower pedunculated often attenuate and 

 interrupted at the base, sheaths none, bracteas long foliaceous, 

 lower often surpassing the stem with pale or ferruginous elon- 

 gated auricles, fruit oval biconvex nerved green with rusty stains. 



