T. Holm — Studies in the CyperacecB. 449 



various sections or greges have been more correctly interpreted. 

 However, the combination of 3ficrorhynchm Midi ^orastachyce 

 does not seem natural to us, and we can not either accept the 

 Bifurcates Kiikthl. as an alliance of two groups as distinct as 

 the Physocarp(2 and Echinostachyoe^ nor can we accept the 

 Lej)tocephal<je and Physocejohalm Bail. And the Dactylosta- 

 chycB Drej. were hardly intended for such divergent types as 

 the Oligocaiyce or the Laxiflorce^ nor does it seem natural to 

 refer Phyllostachys as a whole or in part to the Sphmridio- 

 phorcB Drej. Whether the Vigneastra be distinct from the 

 Yignece and Carices genuince remains to be seen ; the charac- 

 terization of the Graciles^ the PolystachycE and Indices at least 

 does not seem to warrant any such segregation. If the author 

 had treated a larger number of species and from other parts of 

 the world, he would no doubt have altered some of his views 

 and enlarged the number of " greges," especially of the YignecB. 



Similar to the system adopted by Professor Bailey, Mr. 

 Kiikenthal has made a number of combinations of groups 

 formerly proposed by Kunth, Fries, Tuckerman and others. 

 And as we have stated above, such combinations are not always 

 feasible, when we bear in mind that the principles upon which 

 these classifications were based are quite distinct. We might 

 illustrate this by an example taken from the Caiiescentes of 

 Fries, as accepted by Mr. Kiikenthal and Professor Bailey. 



Fries himself defined the Oanescentes as " Hyparrhense /S 

 can'escentes : typice albidse" including such species as G. 

 canescens, remota, stellidata^ tenuiflova and a few others. 

 With Mr. Kiikenthal the Oanescentes are species with : 

 "' utriculi neque alati neque marginati neque spongiosi brevi- 

 rostres vel erostrati," and excluding C. remota, which is trans- 

 ferred to another section: the Memotoe of Ascherson. 



With Professor Bailey the Oanescentes Fr. is supposed to 

 be identical with the Elongatm Kunth, the Tenuiflorce Kunth, 

 the Ileleonasteoe Kunth, the StellulatoB Kunth, the Dewey anoe, 

 Tuckm., the Loliacem l^ym., the Monastes Nyra. and 

 Lagopinm Nym. 



It would seem from the above statements that an independent 

 treatment would be safer, since such contradictions as are liable 

 to arise from combined systems would be averted. And with 

 the object in view of establishing a classification of Yignece and 

 Oajnces genuince in accordance with the principles suggested 

 by Drejer, the writer has made an attempt to arrange a number 

 of species from various parts of the world, but mostly from the 

 northern hemisphere, and only such as have been directly 

 accessible to study and represented by sufiicient material. The 

 result of our study is, as will be seen from the following pages, 

 the maintenance of the Yignece and Oarices gemdnce, while 



Am. Jour. Sci.— Fourth Series, Vol. XVI. No. 96. — December. 1903. 



