22 T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacece. 



in Colorado : Carex nardina and f estiva, while C. Rossii, 

 nigricans and scirpoidea (the typical) are merely snbalpine. 



When Ave consider the Cyperacece of the Chilli wack Valley 

 by themselves, they offer a strange commingling of types not 

 only in regard to their distribution elsewhere, but, also, in 

 respect to the types they represent. JN"o doubt the flora of the 

 valley has been influenced, and to a great extent, by the reced- 

 ing ice during the glacial epoch, when a number of plant- 

 species moved north by way of the Rocky Mountains, but there 

 is, also, some evidence of other species having reached this 

 place in a much later period, for instance the eastern species. 



It would be interesting to know how the geographical dis- 

 tribution compares with the other orders, and quite especially 

 with those that contain types of the arctic or at least of the 

 northern Flora, such as the Saxifragacece, Raminculacece, 

 Juncacece and Graminece. And in regard to the types, as we 

 have seen these represented by the Cyperacece, it is somewhat 

 strange to see so many Vignece in proportion to Carices 

 genuince in a corner of the continent, where the latter usually 

 appear to be predominating in species as well as in individuals ; 

 for the latter are really poorly represented, when compared 

 with those of the Alaskan coast and Oregon. This seems the 

 more remarkable when we notice that the Scirpece of the val- 

 ley are the same, almost, as those of Alaska and vicinity. 



As far as concerns the Cyperacece, the valley seems to have 

 been a meeting-place of a number of species from remote 

 localities and of remarkably specialized types, so utterly unlike 

 each other. The magnificent collections and carefully drawn 

 observations will, no doubt, enable Mr. Macoun to further 

 illustrate the character, the composition and origin of this 

 interesting vegetation. 



EXPLANATION OF FIGURE I. 



Figure 1. — Perigynium of Carex f estiva (No. 26,646) Chilliwack Valley; 

 magnified. 



Figure 2. — Perigynium of Carex f estiva from Kananaskis, Rocky Mts., B. C. 



Figure 3. — Perigynium of same var. Haydeniana from Mt. Massive, Colo- 

 rado. 



Figure 4. — Perigynium of same var. decumbens from Pagosa peak, Colorado. 



Figure 5. — Perigynium of same var. (No. 26,648) from Chilliwack Valley. 



Figure 6. — Perigynium of C. scirpoidea (typical) from Montana. 



Figure 7. — Perigynium of C. scirpoidea var. stenochlama from Chilliwack 

 Valley. 



Figure 8. — Perigynium of C. scirpoidea var. gigas from Mt. Eddy, California. 



Figure 9. — Caryopsis and setae of Scirpus Macounii sp. n. 



Figure II. 

 Carex spectabilis from Chilliwack Valley ; natural size. 

 Figure a. — Perigynhrm of same, magnified. 



Figure b. — Perigynium of same from Nevada County, California. 

 Figure c. — Perigynium of same from Kicking Horse Lake, B. C. 

 Figure d. — Perigynium of C. macrochceta from Alaska. 



