214 T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacece. 



allied species in a very considerable degree by omitting 

 C. canescens, G. loliacea, G. te?iella, G. leporina and several 

 others, which, according to our opinion, do not seem to belong 

 to this section, at least not when we consider the characters, 

 drawn from inflorescence and utriculus. We have enume- 

 rated Carex gynocrates as a species distinct from G. dioeca L., 

 and we have done so after a careful study of a large number 

 of specimens from various regions, besides comparing these 

 with the excellent diagnosis presented by Drejer in his 

 "Revisiocritica Caricum borealium." The habit of these two 

 species is the same, but it appears as if the spikes, "squamae 

 and utriculi," of G. gynocrates are generally paler and of a 

 more dull brown color than those of G. dioeca. Furthermore 

 the utricles are merely spreading (subarrecti) in G. dioeca, but 

 horizontal or sometimes almost reflexed in the other. Utriculus 

 is plano-convex and drawn out into a long, flat and scabrous 

 beak in G. dioeca, while in 0. gynocrates this organ is nearly 

 gibbous (biconvex) and the beak is shorter in proportion to the 

 "body, terete and a little curved. The scales (squamae) are 

 obtuse in G. dioeca, but more or less acute in the latter 

 species. These morphological characters we consider much 

 more important than those taken from the distribution of the 

 sexes, inasmuch as androgynous spikes are, also, known in 

 G. dioeca^ as mentioned in the preceding pages. It might 

 seem, however, as if these characters, possessed by G. gynocrates, 

 are not sufficient for distinguishing it as a species, and that it 

 simply represents a geographical variety of G. dioeca, a sug- 

 gestion that has been made by both Mr. C. B. Clarke and by 

 Rev. G. Kukenthal "in litteris." 



If we examine the central forms, G. echinata and G. sterilis 

 show a structure of utriculus which reminds us very much of 

 that of G. exilis, with the only difference that the base is 

 much broader in the former two species ; otherwise the mar- 

 gins are distinctly winged, the beak scabrous and bidentate. 

 In G. elongata and G. Icevicujmis the body of utriculus is nar- 

 rower and tapers more gradually into the beak, which is also 

 bidentate in these species, but less rough or nearly glabrous, 

 besides that the margins are not winged. When the achenes 

 are mature we notice in these species (formce centrales) the 

 same change of direction in the utricle as described as charac- 

 teristic of the Dioicce (formae hebetatae*, and especially so in 

 €. echinata. In regard to G. remota this species possesses a 

 utricle of somewhat different structure, since the beak is not 

 pronounced, but bidentate and scabrous ; the margins are nar- 

 rowly but plainly winged, and the base is somewhat thick and 

 spongy as in all the others ; at maturity the utricles are spread- 

 ing, and the species G. remota appears to us as inseparable 



