62 T. Holm — Studies in the Cyperacece. 



multisulcus, glaberrimus, colore folioriim Vttis aridoram, rostro, 

 quod ante maturitatem bifidum est, nunc obsoleto. Species 

 null! ceterarnm affinis." Boott, in illustrating the species, 

 reprints Bieberstein's diagnosis and declares himself unable to 

 decide its affinity unless it be near C. haccans Nees, which, 

 however, is one of the ^^IndicmP It is a very rare plant, but 

 has been recorded again by Meinshausen* from sandy soil on 

 the Southern plains between Yolga and the Caspian sea, and 

 this author enumerates it among the Horaostachym " spiculis 

 homogeneis androgynis." 



But neither Boott or Meinshausen have expressed any doubt 

 as to the normal condition of this singular plant. However, 

 Treviranusf himself, but several years after the publication of 

 Ledebour's Flora Rossica, calls attention to the possibility of 

 the utricles being abnormally developed, and the abnormality 

 being evidently due to the puncture of some insect, as we are 

 used to observe in other species of Carex, e. g. C. vulpina^ C. 

 jpanicidata and very commonly in C. disticha. And there are 

 actually some points in Bieberstein's diagnosis which seem to 

 confirm Treviranus' suspicion, namely, the structure of the 

 anthers, " polline emisso, ad basin usque in lobos duos dehis- 

 centes, ut tunc lilamentum apice biantheriferum appareat," 

 and the structure of the utricle, " dentibus oris duobus conni- 

 ventibus exilibus, in maturo vix superstitibus," besides the 

 comparison of the utricle with the fruit of Cornus or Taxiis. 



The section Physocephcdce as established by Prof. Bailey is 

 thus, to say the least, an assemblage of incongruities and can 

 not be maintained. Carex physodes^ whether it be abnormal 

 or not, must be placed among the " Vignece^^ on account of its 

 inflorescence and two stigmas. Carex Frasevi can not by any 

 means be regarded as an ally of Carex Brev^eri on account of 

 its morphological and anatomical peculiarities, and we suggest 

 to place it in a section of its own, to which we designate the 

 name '•' Leiococephalce^^^ characterized as follows : Spike one, 

 androgynous, snow-white; perigynium thin, glabrous, elliptic 

 with the beak very short, obliquely cut ; leaf broad and flat 

 without sheath, ligule or midrib ; culm flattened; stigmas 3. 

 Only species Carex Fraseri Andrews. 



Carex Engelmannii appears, on the other hand, well refera- 

 ble to Drejer's Physocarpm as a ^^ forma hebetata^'' and of 

 which the diagnosis of the section is defined as follows : 

 " Spic?e masculse femineseque plures, breviter pedunculatge. 

 Bractese foliacese, evaginatse. Perigynia membranacea, nervata, 

 glabra, valde inflata, rostrata ore distincte bifido vel bicuspi- 



* Cyperaceen der Flora Ensslands. (Acta hort. Petrop. vol. xviii, 1901.) 

 f Ad CaricograpMam Rossicam, Moskow, 1863, p. 4. 



