T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacece. 207 



phorae the sectional character is thus : " spica unica simplicis- 

 sima androgyna sive dioica," and Tuckermann divided these in 

 nine subsections : Dioicce, Na?^dince, Pulicares, Pauciflorce, 

 Filifolice, Scirpinoe, Ohtusatce, Polytrichoidece and Rupestres, 

 of which the names readily indicate what species are com- 

 prised under these subsections. But on the other hand the 

 characterization of these minor sections is in several cases well 

 comparable with that of several of the VignecB and Carices- 

 genuince, as defined by Tuckermann, with the only exception 

 of the lesser decompound inflorescence. We find among the 

 Dloicce such species enumerated as C. dioeea, etc., C exilis 

 and even C. capitata L., the last mentioned being followed by 

 C. nardina Fr. {Nardince), and it seems strange that Tucker- 

 mann considered C. capitata as being such a close relative of 

 C. dioeea, rather than placing it under Nardinoe. Elias Fries 

 in enumerating the Scandinavian Carices* has, also, the Psyl- 

 lophorce classified as his Monostachyce distinct from his "Homo- 

 stachyw :" Hyparrhenoe and Acroarrhenoe, while Kunth only 

 recognized Vignea and Oarex, the former containing all the 

 species with bifid, the latter those with trifid style, thus each 

 of these sections is represented by both mono-, homo- and 

 hetero-stachyous species. The number of stigmata, however, 

 is of little importance in classifying Carices, inasmuch as we 

 have already pointed out, the number of stigmata being by no 

 means a constant character in several species of Vignece and 

 Carices genuinw. 



In regard to the distribution of the sexes, dioecious forms are 

 not restricted to the Psyllophorce either, but occur among the 

 Vignece, e. g., C sterilis Willd., C. Douglasii Boott, and occa- 

 sionally among the Carices genuince : C. Parryana Dew., 

 besides that C. acuta L. sometimes occurs with purely stami- 

 nate spikes, the so-called variety anomala Lge., which ha& 

 been found in Denmark. The very interesting C. Bocttiana 

 Benth. is only known as dioecious, but Boottf referred it 

 nevertheless to Carices genuince on account of its close affinity 

 to C. Baltzelli Chapm. However these cases of dicecism may 

 well be considered as exceptional among Vignece and Carices 

 genuince, while there are typically dioecious species among the 

 Psyllophorce: C dioeea, C. parallela, etc. The character 

 "spica unica" as applied to all the Psyllophorce is, on the 

 other hand, not constant, and we remember for instance that 

 in both C. scirpoidea and C. exilis additional, lateral spikes 

 may be developed, consisting of several pistillate flowers. 

 Dr'ejer referred C scirpoidea to his Sphceridiophorce, and 



* Fries Elias: Summa vegetabilium Scandinavia. Sectio prior. Upsala, 1846, 

 p. 13. 



f Boott, Francis: Illustrations of the genus Carex, vol. i, London, 1858, p. 16. 



Am. Jour. Sci— Fourth Series, Vol. XI, No. 63.— March, 1901. 

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