OBDBfi 156.— CYPERACaiE. Ul 



Class IV. G L U M I F E R ^. 



Plants of the endogenous structure, having the flowers invested 

 with an imbricated perianth of alternate glumes instead of 

 sepals and petals, and collected into spikelets, spikes or heads. 

 The Class is equivalent to the 



Cohort 7. GEAMINOIDEiE. 



Ordee CLV. CYPERACE-^ The Sedges. 



Herbs grass-like or rush-like, with fibrous roots and solid culms. Leaves mostly 

 linear, channeled, arising from entire or tubular sheaths. Flowers spiked, perfect or 

 diclinous, one in the axil of each glume. Perianth none, or represented by a few 

 hypogynous bristles (seice), or a cup-shaped or a sac-shaped perigyniurn. Stamens 

 definite (1 to 12), mostly 3. Anth. fixed by their base, 2-celled. Ovary 1-celled, 

 with an anatropous, erect ovule, forming in fruit a utricle. .Embryo enclosed in the 

 base of the albumen. 



Genera 120, species 2000. The Sedges nbonml in almost all cHtnea of tho globe, and In all 

 liK;alities, bat are more common in the meadows, marshes and swamps of the temperate zones. 

 -\bont 40 genera and 400 species are known in North America. 



Properties. — They are In general little used fur food or in the arts, "their coarse herbage is 

 often eaten by cattle, but they are nearly destitute of the sweet and nutritious properties of the 

 ^oases. The leaves of some of tho larger species are usedin Italy to bind flasks,and In weaving 

 Uio bottoms of chairs. Yet, although of so little apparent Talue, their vast numbers authorize 

 Ui« belief that they subservo many lilghly important ends in tho economy of nature. 



TRIBES AND GENEEA. 

 § TiiinK 1. CYPERK^. Glumes distychous (2-rowed). Flowers perfect (*) 



* Inflorescenee axillary. Perigynium or perianth of 6 to iO setae Dulichium. 1 



* Inflorescence terminal. Perigynium none. — Splkes3to oo-flowered Cypkbus. 2 



— Spikes 1-flowered, capitate. . ..Kvllinqia. 3 

 § TniBB 2, SCIRPE^, Glumea Imbricated In several rows, each (except some- 

 times the lowest) flower bearing. Inflorescence wholly terminal or wholly lat- 

 eral (never both). Flowers perfect. (*) 



* Perianth of 8 ovate petals and (often) of 8 setce Fitibe^s-a, 4 



* Perianth of 3 to oo hypogynons setae, (a) 



a Achenium crowned with a tubercle. Spike solitary, terminal Eleocharis. 5 



a Achenium not tuberc. — Setto 3 to 6, short, or else tawny. Spikes 1 to CO . . . Sciepifb, 6 

 — Setin. CO (rarely 6), long, white, cottony Ebiopuokum. T 



* Perianth 0. — Style 2-cleft, smooth.— Spikes 2 to 8, lateral IIkmicaepiia. 8 



— Spikea oo, in a terminal head Ltpocakpha. 9 



— Style 2-cleil, cUiolate. Spikes 5 to 10, terminal FiMBRiSTTLie. 9 



—Style 3-cleft, smooth. Achenium 3-angied Teiciielosttlis. 1» 



S TniBB 8. RHYNCHOSPORE.<E. Glumes imbricated in several rows, many 

 of the lowest empty. Inflorescence both terminal and axillary (except in No. 

 12). Flowers perfect or dicllnons. (c) 

 O Achenia crowned with the persistent style or its bulbous base, (d) 



d Perianth none (no setw). — Spikes diffusely cymons .Psilooarya. 11 



— Spikos capitate. Bracts colored Dichromeha. 12 



d Perianth of setro.- Aehen. tubercnlato with the base of the style. ...EnTNouospOEA, 13 

 — Achenium horned with the entire long style.. . CEEATOScntENUS. 14 



c Achenia not tuberciilatc, — brown like the scales. Seto) none CLAniuM. 15 



— wblt« or whitish, croetaceous. Seta none. ...... .Scleria. 16 



