The Book of Grasses 



from one to two inches long, with deep brown scales which 

 show green mid-veins and lighter coloured margins. 



The earliest of our 

 common species, as well 

 as one of the most abun- 

 dant, is the Pennsylvania 

 Sedge (Cdrex pennsylvdn- 

 ica) which is found in 

 the dry soil of hills and 

 open woodlands, carpet- 

 ing the ground with tufts 

 of slender leaves and 

 opening inconspicuous 

 flowers before the more 

 showy blossoms have 

 wakened from their win- 

 ter's sleep, in the bor- 

 derland between woods 

 and open pasture this 

 sedge is one of the most 

 common plants, and by 

 dry waysides it is also 

 frequently seen. The 

 stems are rarely more 

 than a foot in height and 

 are often much less than 

 that. The blossoming 

 spikes are small, the 

 staminate flowers being 

 borne in the uppermost 

 spike, which is from one 

 half to one inch in length, 

 while the fertile flowers 

 are in smaller, sessile 

 spikes immediately below 

 the staminate blossoms. 

 The scales are dark red- 

 dish brown, lighter on 

 the margins and along 

 the mid-vein. 

 308 



