T. Holm — Studies upon the Cyperacew. 349 



Celakovsky, however, has supported Braun's opinion, and 

 declared Doell's statement to be incorrect in regard to C. 

 pilosa* The flowering stems are actually lateral in this 

 species, but the central vegetative axis dies off very soon. Only 

 one more species has been added to these, namely C. globularis 

 L., by Callme.f 



If we now consider our North- American species, it is sur- 

 prising to see that the systematic authors keep perfectly silent 

 in this matter, although Boott has illustrated it so exceedingly 

 correct in several of his figures.:}: 



The monopodial ramification is very well represented in 

 this country, and exists in several of our commonest species. 

 It is characteristic of all the species, which Bailey§ has enume- 

 rated under the group " Laxiflorm" of Kunth, viz: C. laxl- 

 flora Lam. and its varieties, C. llendersoni Bailey, C. laxiculmis 

 Schw., C. ptychocarpa Steud., C. digitalis Willd., C. Careyana 

 Torr., C. plantaginea Lam. and V. platyphylla Carey ; besides 

 that it, also, exists in the remarkable species C. Fraseri Andrews 

 of the " Physocephala&P We have examined several speci- 

 mens of these species and the character appears to be constant. 



The accompanying plate (IX, fig. 1) illustrates this ramification 

 as shown in (J. platyphylla, the specimen collected in the early 

 spring. We see here a perennial vegetative shoot, the base of 

 which is surrounded by a number of buds, which will develop 

 into flower-bearing stems during the same spring. These 

 floral buds are all developed in the axils of old leaves, which 

 are situated on the same axis as those of the upper part of the 

 shoot, which are now in their prime of growth. By examin- 

 ing the axils of the younger leaves, we find, also, buds, which 

 will develop into floral shoots one year later. It cannot, how- 

 ever, be decided with any certainty how long the vegetative 

 shoot can continue its growth, but it seems, at least in the 

 species enumerated above, that it can persist for more than 

 three years. C. digitalis forms perhaps an exception, since 

 the vegetative shoot in most of the specimens examined did 

 not seem to have persisted for a longer time than two years. 

 The growth of the individual is, however, as mentioned above, 

 secured by the development of a few lateral buds next to the 

 floral ones. There are some other species of Oarex, which 

 probably are monopodial like the above mentioned. These 

 are, e. g., 0. pubescens Muhl., C. oligocarpa Schk., C. grisea 

 WahL, C. gracillima Schw. and C. aretata Boott. These 



* Pflanzenmorphologische Mittheiluugen, Lotos, vol. xiv, 1864, p. 20. 



f Ueber zweigliedrige Sprossfolge bei den Arten der G-attung Carex, Berichte 

 d. deutsch. botan. Gesellsch , vol. v, 1887. 



\ Illustrations of the genus Carex, London, 1858-67. 



§ A preliminary synopsis of North- American Carices, Proceed. Am. Acad, of 

 Arts and Sciences, April 14, 1886. 



