T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacem. 35 



lar, scabrous, from 50 to 75^™ in height, phyllopodic ; spikes 

 4 to 6, contiguous or the lowest one remote, erect or sometimes 

 spreading, the upper ones sessile, the lower ones short-peduncled ; 

 the terminal and uppermost lateral spikes staminate, the others 

 pistillate or androgynous, subtended by sheathless foliaceous 

 bracts, of which the lowest exceeds the inflorescence, the 

 others being shorter ; staminate spike linear, the scales oblong- 

 lanceolate, reddish-brown Avith pale, not excurrent midrib ; 

 pistillate spike from 3 to 4'='" in length, quite thick, cylindrical, 

 obtuse, the scales ovate-lanceolate and acuminate, dark brown 

 to almost black with the midrib obsolete, longer, but narrower 

 than the utricle ; utricle stipitate, oval to elliptical, compressed, 

 granulated light green, two-nerved, the beak short, entire, 

 purplish around the orifice ; stigmata 2. 



\diY. petrophila nob. (fig. 14). 



Culms very low, from 7 to 15'^"' in height ; spikes until 6^"^ in 

 length, very narrow, but dense-flowered, attenuated at the base, 

 contiguous, the lower ones often very long-peduncled ; utricle 

 stipitate, almost roundish in outline with a short, entire beak. 



Carex rhomhoidea sp. n. (fig. 8-10). 



Rhizome loosely csespitose, the sheaths persisting, light pur- 

 plish ; leaves rather narrow, but flat, scabrous along the mar- 

 gins, a little shorter that the culm ; culm 3o to 40'="' in height, 

 erect, slender, triangular, scabrous, phyllopodic ; spikes 3 to 5, 

 the terminal and, sometimes, the uppermost lateral staminate, 

 the others pistillate, or the uppermost lateral androgynous, 

 erect, sessile or the lowest one short-peduncled, mostly contig- 

 uous, subtended by foliaceous, sheathless bracts with blades as 

 long as the inflorescence or shorter ; staminate spike linear, the 

 scales spatulate oblong, obtuse, light reddish-brown with pale 

 midrib and hyaline margins ; pistillate spikes very dense- 

 flowered, cylindrical, attenuated at the base, from 1-5 to 4^=°' 

 in length, the scales (fig. 9) dark purplish with white, broad 

 midrib, oblong, obtuse, narrower, but longer than the utricle ; 

 utricle sessile, elliptical, rhomboid (fig. iO) granulated, light 

 green, two-nerved, compressed, entirely beakless ; stigmata 2. 



Carex variabilis^ C. acutina and C. rhomhoidea constitute 

 a small group of Microrhynchce of which the two first show 

 some approach to the old world types of the aquatilis group, 

 though very distinct from this ; C. rhomhoidea stands some- 

 what isolated among the other Microrhynchce^ but belongs 

 undoubtedly to this section, and perhaps to the group, the 

 center of which is Boott's C. angustata. 



