392 CYPEKACE^E. (SEDGE FAMILY.) 



scarcely longer or shorter than the rough-pointed scale. — Mui.tiflor.s:, 

 Kunth. 



66. C. VUlpinoidea, Michx. Culms stiff, sharply angled, often scabrous, 

 about the length of the narrow leaves : spikes 8 to 20, forming an interrupted 

 brown or greenish-tawny head an inch or two long and composed of G to 10 

 crowded clusters, one or more of the lower spikes subtended by a short and 

 setaceous or rarely somewhat leafy bract : perigynium diverging at maturity, 

 more or less rough on the angles. — C. multiflora, Dew. C. setacea, Dew. 

 Colorado ( Vase//), Nebraska (Hayden). A widely variable species, running 

 into a multitude of forms, of which only the following has decisive char- 

 acters. 



Var. platycarpa, Gay. Culms mostly rather longer than the leaves; 

 lower sheaths transversely striate opposite the leaves : spikes more scattered, 

 forming a very narrow head, the upper aggregated, the lower distinct and 

 oblong (J inch or less long) and very densely flowered and spreading with a 

 truncate top : perigynium larger, orbicular-ovate, winged, nearly green, spread- 

 ing at nearly right angles to the rhachis. — Indian Territory and probably 

 southwestward. 



****** Staminate flowers variously situated, usually some of the intermedi- 

 ate or terminal spikes all staminate, or the plant entirely dioecious: s/iikes 

 aggregated in more or less chaffy heads, straw-colored or brown. (The student 

 may seek here No. 72, which has the intermediate spikes staminate, but 

 which is distinguished from all members of this group by its few, erect, 

 and long-lanceolate perigynia.) — Arenabi^;, Tuckm. 



h— Spikes short : scales ovate, not owned or conspicuously acute. 



67. C. siccata, Dew. Extensively creeping : culm erect (1 to 2 feet high), 

 sharply angled, rough, mostly longer than the rather narrow leaves : spikes 4 

 to 12, simple, alternate, ferruginous, longer than the scale-like bracts, the middle 

 ones or sometimes the lower ones all staminate, loosely aggregated into ah oblong or 

 cylindrical head (which is f to 2 inches long) : perigynium green, nerved, the 

 margins slightly incurved, ovate below, contracted into a rough and slightli/ toothed 

 beak which is longer than the body, the whole longer than the hyaline-margined 

 acute scale. — Dry places, Colorado and northward. The forms with the lower 

 spikes all masculine resemble those species of the next section with a single 

 terminal spike which is prolonged and staminate at the base. 



68. C. marcida, Boott. Culm erect, 1 to 2 feet high, sharply angled, 

 scabrous, longer than the narrow leaves: spikes 4 to 15, ferruginous or dark- 

 brown, the lower usually somewhat compound, staminate at the apex or nearli/ d'm- 

 cious, spreading and imbricated into an oblong-conical or broadly cylindrical head : 

 perigynium brown, becoming very dark at maturity, nerved, ovate or orbicular-orate, 

 with incurved and serrate margins, contracted into u beak shorter than the bodu, 

 about the length of , or a little shorter than, the acute or cuspidate scale. — Sandy 

 meadows and mountains throughout. 



69. C. disticha, Hudson. Extensively creeping: culm stout, 1 to 3 J feet 

 high, sharply angled, rough above, mostly longer than the leaves: spikes 10 

 to 25, globose or ovoid, compactly flowered, ferruginous or straiv-colored, usually 

 all simple, the middle or terminal ones staminate, loosely aggregated (the two or 

 three lowest sometimes distinct) into a cylindrical or oblong thick and heavy 



