450 T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacece. 



the Yigneasty^a appear to lis as inseparable from these, especially 

 from the latter. That we enumerate the Vignece before the 

 Carices gemiince must not be understood as if it were our 

 idea that these are older than the others ; we consider them 

 both as two parallel groups that evidently developed from cer- 

 tain monostachjous types, branching out in several, more or less 

 restricted "greges." In these, the "greges," we have begun 

 with the simplest types, when snch are represented in the 

 shape of monostachyous species: ^^formce hehetatoRP The 

 supposed central types are so indicated, but besides these there 

 are usually certain species which cannot be placed in direct 

 sequence with these, and which to some extent show transi- 

 tion to other " greges f these are enumerated as ^' Desciscentes.''^ 



As to the arrangement of the "greges " we have begun with 

 those which we suppose are the least advanced in each group ; 

 among the "greges" themselves are several which to us appear 

 as illustrating a parallel development, for instance Athrochlce7icB- 

 Stenocarjpce and Podogynce^ IVichocarpcB-JEchinochlcence^ etc. 

 When we compare the " greges " of the Vignece- with those of 

 the Carices gemiince it is readily seen that there are several 

 types among the latter which habitually remind us of the 

 former, the Vignece i such analogies are not uncommon among 

 the MelananthcB^ the AthrvchlcencB and the Chionanthce. 



However these analogies do not extend beyond the mere 

 composition of the inflorescence and especially in regard to the 

 distribution of the sexes : the spikes being often androgynous 

 or gynsecandrous as in the Vignece. While apparently typical 

 to several species, androgynous or gynsecandrous spikes occur 

 so frequently among the Cccrices gemiince^ the formerly so- 

 called ^^ Heterostachyce,^'' that this character seems too fallacious 

 to be depended upon to any large extent. But some excep- 

 tions exist, and we have not, so far, observed a single case 

 where the terminal spike was not gynsecandrous in such species 

 as C. triceps, virescens and S/iortianct, to which such structure 

 seems to be typical, besides a number of others, i. e. 0. sgxiar- 

 rosa. atratct, cdpinci, Buxbaumii, etc., even if exceptions be 

 not infrequent. 



It seem?, also, to be a marked characteristic of the so-called 

 '^Vigneastra^^ that most of the spikes or sometimes all of 

 them are androgynous, but as we have already stated, we have 

 not felt induced to maintain this section, since none of the 

 species, which we have had an opportunity of examining, 

 proved distinct from the Carices genuinoe. While some of 

 these Vigneastra possess a habit that is very distinct from 

 other Carices, it is not diflicult to see several and very impor- 

 tant analogies in their morphological structure by which the 

 distinction becomes very faint and hardly sufficient for the 



