T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacece. 273 



to which G. sempervirens is supposed to belong, the affinities 

 of which may naturally be sought among such boreal or alpine 

 forms as G misandra R. Br., O. frigida AIL, C.ferruginea 

 Scop., etc. The systematic position of these species is not 

 defined in Drejer's work, but he makes some allusions to a pos- 

 sibly existing affinity between C. circinata, G. Davalliana on 

 the one side and C. sem/pervirens, G. misandra and C. frigida 

 on the other, while he enumerates these as "format desciscen- 

 tes" under " MelananthmP However, on his table of affini- 

 ties III Drejer places these between " SphmridAophorm and 

 Lamjprochltence" and he evidently considered them as represent- 

 ing a section or grex of their own : the work, however, which 

 this author began in such an admirable manner was, unfortu- 

 nately, never finished. In Tuckerman's "Ennmeratio meth- 

 odica" we find some of these species classified as 'Fuliginosm " 

 (C. fuliginosa and G. frigida) and as " Ferruginem" {C.ferru- 

 ginea, G. sempervirens, G. hrachystachys and G firma), while 

 he does not seem to have known G. lejocarpa or G. circinata. 

 A similar disposition is, furthermore, to be noticed in Dr. 

 Christ's Catalogue, where these same species are arranged in 

 one section " Frigidm of Fries," together with G. mueronata 

 All. and G. orctchystachys Schrank. The Frigidm are taken 

 up again by Rev. G. Kiikenthal, placed between Sphmridio- 

 phorm and HymenocJdcence. Still another, but most unsuccess- 

 ful classification is proposed by Professor Bailey, who includes 

 all the Frigidm in MicrofhynchcB, which he, furthermore, com- 

 bines with jEorastachyce* Melananthm and Trachychlmnm (G. 

 glauca Scop.) of Drejer, while G. circinata and C. lejocarpa 

 are placed under a new section Leptocephalm Bailey including 

 C. jpolytrichoides ! It does not seem necessary to discuss fur- 

 ther such combination, which is in no respect in accord with 

 the system proposed by Drejer, to whom Professor Bailey 

 refers as author of these various sections. 



It appears as if the Frigidm may really constitute a special 

 section, as proposed by Dr. Christ and Rev. Gr. Kiikenthal, but 

 we do not know how far Mr. Kiikenthal extends this section, 

 since this author has only treated the South American Carices, 

 of which only one, G. Yallis pidchrm, is enumerated. How- 

 ever, by examining' the European and boreal species of this 

 section, we have noticed that certain and, indeed, very striking 

 analogies exist between them ; moreover, the utriculus may be 

 well referable to one single type in all of them. This organ is 

 in these species more or less trigonous in transverse section ; 

 it is membranaceous, usually glabrous or sometimes a little 



* The sectional name JEorastaehyce (alupa) as proposed by Drejer is by Profes- 

 sor Bailey constantly cited as "iErostachyae." 



