FERNALD. —CARICES OF SECTION HYPARRHENAE. 459 
Carex canescens, L., is characterized by its glaucous color and strongly 
appressed-ascending ‘elliptic pointed perigynia tapering very gradually 
to the short beak. Another plant, C. brunnescens, Poir. (0. canescens, 
var. alpicola, Wahl., C. canescens, var. vulgaris, Bailey), is usually 
bright green, and the few loosely spreading-ascending perigynia are 
rather abruptly contracted to a definite serrulate-based beak. This plant 
is common in dry soils throughout the boreal sections of America and 
Europe ; while the glaucous C. canescens is a species of very wet 
situations. Under various names, ©. vitilis, Fries, C. Gebhardii, Hoppe, 
, ©. brunnescens has been treated as a species, and as often again asa 
variety of C. canescens. An examination of much material shows its 
characters to be essentially constant, and, though the plant superficially 
resembles small forms of C. canescens, its claim to specific rank rests 
upon a number of definite characters. 
hen Carex arcta and C. brunnescens are removed from C. canescens, 
there remains a species characterized by its glaucous foliage and ap- 
pressed scarcely beaked perigynia. This species presents in America 
three noteworthy variations. The true ©. canescens, L., of northern 
Europe has the spikes 2.5 to 5 em. long, of 4 to 7 oblong-cylindric to 
narrowly obovoid spikelets 0.6 to 1 em. long. This plant occurs in 
Arctic America coming south to northern New England and New York, 
the Rocky Mts., and Vancouver. Rare in the eastern United States 
and Canada, the typical form of C. canescens has been misinterpreted 
by recent American students, although the species was very clearly 
discussed by Francis Boott. The American plant which has passed 
as true C. canescens is, however, strikingly different in aspect, and 
raping ea: the typical plant has more than once been published as 
American variety — var. dubia, Bailey, and var. robustina, 
ie 
Another form of Carer canescens common to northern Europe and 
America is var. subloliacea, Laestadius. In this plant the spike is 
usually rather shorter than in typical C. canescens, the less approximate 
globose or short-oblong few-flowered spikelets are only 4 to 7 mm. long, 
and ‘the smaller perigynium is nearly or quite smooth. In its smooth 
Perigynium this plant approaches C. heleonastes, which, however, has 
larger spikelets and perigynia and quite lacks the distinctive glaucous 
aspect of ©. canescens. The var. subloliacea, which is commoner in 
northern New England than is the true C. canescens, also simulates 
C. brunnescens ; but. it is very canescent and the perigynia otherwise as 
in true ©. canescens are essentially smooth, while in the greener C. 
