Order 155.— OYPERACELE. 731 



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



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. GKAMINOIDE^. 



Order CLY. CYPERACE^. The Sedges. 



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

 linear, chaimeled, 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 isetoR), or a cup-shaped or a sac-shaped perigynimrb. 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. 3iribryo enclosed in the 

 base of the albumen. 



Genera 120, fpecieft 2000. The Sedges nbound in almost all climes of the glohe, and in all 

 localities, but are more common in the meadows, marshes and swamps of the temperate zonea. 

 About 40 genei'a and 400 species are known in North America. 



Properties. — Thpy are in general little used for food or in the arts. Tlieir coarse herbage is 

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

 grasses. The leaves of some of the larger species are used in Italy to bind flasks, and in weaving 

 the bottoms of chairs. Yet, although of so little apparent value, their vast numbers authorize 

 tho belief that they subservo many liighly important ends in the economy of nature. 



TRIBES AND GENERA, 

 § Trier 1. CTPEEK.^. Glumes distychous (2-rowed). Flowers perfect. (*) 



* Inflorescence axillary. Perigynium or perianth of 6 to ID sets DuLicniirM. 1 



* luflorcficence terminal. Perigynium none. — Spikes 2 to Qo-flowered Cypeeus. 2 



— Spikes 1-flowered, capitate Kyllikgia. 3 



§ Tkiek 2. SCIEPE-iE. Glumes imbricated in several rows, each (except some- 

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

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



* Perianth of 8 ovate petals and (often)of 3 seta Fuirena, 4 



* Perianth of 8 to oo hypogynous seta;, (a) 



a Aehenium crowned with a tubercle. Spike Bolitary, terminal Elbociiaris. 5 



a Aehenium not tuberc.— Setee 3 to 6, short, or else tawny. Spikes 1 to go . ..Sciepus. 6 

 — SetJE 00 (rarely 6), long, white, cottony Eriopuoeum. T 



* Perianth 0.— Stylo 2-cleft, smooth.— Spikes 2 to 3, lateral Hkmicaepu a. S 



— Spikes 00, in a terminal head Lipocaepua. I> 



—Style 2-cleft, ciliolate. Spikes 5 to 10, terminal Fimbristtlis. 9 



—Style 3-cIeft, smooth. Aehenium 3-angled TKicnELOSTYLis. V) 



S Tkibb 3. EHYNCHOSPORE^. Glumes imbricated in several rows, manj 

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

 12). Flowers perfect or diclinous, (c) 

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



d Perianth nono (no setffi).— Spikes diffusely cymous. ,.. .Psilooauva. H 



—Spikes capitate. Bracts colored ^ Dichromena. 13 



d Perianth of setaa.— Achen. tuberculate with the base of the style EnYNCuosPOBA. 13 



— Aehenium horned witli the entire long style.. .CcEAToscnffiNua. 14 



o Achenia not tuberculate,- brown like the scnlea. Seta none Clai>ium. 15 



— white or \rhiti5h, crostaceous. Setse none Solebia. 16 



