The Sedge Family 





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smooth, round stems are often seen in shallow brooks and 

 are more noticeable than are the small terminal umbels of 



brownish spikelets. 



Wool-grass {Scirpus cyperi- 



nus), common in late summer, 



is a handsome plant of low 



meadows, where groups of this 



rigid, leafy sedge show a rank 



growth. The stems of Wool- 

 grass are frequently shoulder- 

 high and bear a profusion of 



rather narrow, long, drooping 



leaves which are sharp-edged 



with minute saw-teeth. The 



perianth, which in this genus 



is present in the form of bris- 

 tles, is in Wool-grass long and 



downy, clothing the spikelets 



of the conspicuous terminal 



umbel in dull gray wool. 



The Club-rushes {Scirpus 



polyphyllus and S. sylvdticus) 



are leafy and graceful plants 



that are frequently noticed in 



low meadows and in swamps. 



They are usually from two to 



six feet tall and bear broad 



leaves and large terminal um- 

 bels of many small spikelets. 



These flowering-heads are 



coloured in dull tones of green 



and brown, and we must 



push aside the overshadowing 



leaves and the low masses 



of surrounding vegetation in 



order to find the striking 



tints of deep carmine, corn- 

 colour, and pale rose which 



are frequently concealed at 



the base of stem and leaf. 

 301 



Slender Cotton-grass 

 Eriophorum gracile 



Virginian Cotton-grass 

 Eriophorum vi^ginicum 



