452 T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacem. 



culms are branched in almost their whole length and from the 

 numerous leaf -sheaths long pedunclcd, androgynous spikes pro- 

 ceed, of which the secondary ramifications are sessile and 

 developed from perigynia without flowers. Theee empty 

 perigynia correspond, as we have described before,* with the 

 basal ochrese, but differ from tliese by their function and struc- 

 ture. Their function is to spread the lateral spikes into an 

 horizontal position, and this takes place by means of a swelling 

 of the base of these small organs. In other words, they repre- 

 sent prophylla with purely mechanical function, as we remem- 

 ber so well from the similar, but much higher developed, 

 sheath-like prophylla in the umbels of Cyperus. The minor 

 inflorescences of (J. cladostacliya may look more like those of 

 a Yignea^ but the presence of the empty pei'igynia with their 

 special function makes the species better comparable with some 

 of the Carices gemcinw^ in which similar rudimentary and basal 

 perigynia have been observed. The IiidiccB contain, thus, the 

 most singular types of the Yigneastra^ but we have, neverthe- 

 less, failed to find a single point in their combined morpholog- 

 ical structure by whicli their segregation from the others might 

 be warranted. The almost constant presence of both sexes in 

 each spike is of course noteworthy, but such androgynous 

 inflorescences are, as we know, not uncommon among the other 

 Carices. And we think that such cases where a species with 

 normally gynsecandrous spikes appears as inseparable from 

 others which are truly heterostachyous, that such cases ma}^ be 

 considered more anomalous than when we place the Yigneastra 

 as members of the various "greges" of Carices genuince. 



We refer to C. Magellanica^ of which the lateral spikes are 

 normally gyngecandrous ; still no one would doubt its affinity to 

 be with C. limosa and rariflora. And we might, also, recall 

 the singular C. stenolepis in which the lateral spikes are con- 

 stantly gymecandrous besides, not infrequently, the terminal, 

 and the affinity of this species seems, notwithstanding, to be 

 with the Spirostacliyce.^ as suggested by Drejer (1. c). 



Some few " Carices genuincB^^ for no author has as yet 

 segregated them from these, deserve just as much the distinc- 

 tion of being enumerated as Yigneastra as those mentioned 

 by Tuckerman, Eailey and Kiikenthal, and these are : the 

 pliostachyous C Willdenovii^ Steudelii^ BacMi^ illegitima., 

 Linkii and pedunculata with all the spikes androgynous and 

 in no wise to be distinguished from the Yigneastra /f the only 

 difference which we see lies in tlieir smaller size. There is, on 

 the other hand, a species which we have enumerated as a mem- 

 ber of the Carices genuincB^ and which, according to our opin- 



*This Journal, vol. ii, 1896, 214. and vol. x, 1900, p. 33. 

 t This Journal, vol. x, 1900, p. 33. 



