CYPERACE^E. (SEDGE FAMILY.) 387 



the base: perigynium biconvex or very obtusely 3-angIed, with a very short entire 

 or emarginate beak, or beakless : stig?nas 2 or 3. — MelaxostachYjE, Tuckm. 

 Mostly mountain or boreal species, distinguished by the aggregated spikes 

 and inconspicuous or androgynous terminal spike and nigrescent color. To 

 be regarded as probably the least evolved section of the genus, connecting 

 the two subgenera. 



* Terminal spike all staminate (in No. 46 often with a few pistillate flowers at 



base or apex, or rarely all pistillate and dioecious), cylindrical : pistillate spikes 

 approximate, erect: stigmas usually 3. — Stylos^e. 



46. C. Parryana, Dew. Stoloniferous : culms rigid, 2 to 16 inches high, 

 stout, obtusely angled, smooth or nearly so, granulated, longer than the rigid, long- 

 po'nted, narrow leaves: terminal spike usually largest, about an inch long, brown, 

 with I to 5 small, globular, oblong, or cylindrical erect spikes near its base (or 

 sometimes entirely solitary!), the lower usually subtended by a narrow bract 

 shorter than the culm and often more or less remote and shortly peduncled : 

 perigynium obovate or triangular-obovoid, somewhat plano-convex, scabrous above, 

 lightly nerved especially on the outer side, very abruptly short-beaked, the orijice 

 entire or erose-hyaline, shorter and about the width of the very obtuse, brown, white- 

 nerved, hyaline-margined, sometimes minutely apicu/ate and ciliate scale. — C. arc- 

 tica, Dew. C. Ha/lii, Oluey. South Park, Colorado, and northward in the 

 mountains : rare. Named for Capt. Parry, the Arctic explorer. The mo.no- 

 stachyous specimens resemble No. 5, from which they are readily distinguished 

 by the hairless perigynia. 



47. C. Raynoldsii, Dew. Stoloniferous: culms 13 inches to 3^ feet high, 

 sharply angled, longer than the flat, glaucous leaves: staminate spike sessile, 

 about half an inch long: pistillate spikes 3 to 6, short and thick (4 lines wide), 

 not commonly more than twice as long as broad (and usually less), sessile or short 

 peduncled, aggregated, or the lowest an inch or two remote and exserted : lower 

 bract about the length of the culm, bearing conspicuous purple auricles : perigy- 

 nium large, obovoid, 3-angled, prominently nerved, green or light-colored, abruptly 

 narrowed into a nearly entire purple beak, somewhat spreading, when mature much 

 longer and broader than the acute black scale. — C. Lyallii, Boott. Mountains, 

 Utah to Wyoming. 



* * Terminal spike staminate: pistillate spikes ovoid or oblong and drooping: 



stigmas 3. — Limos^e, Tuckm. 



48. C. Magellanica, Lam. Loosely tufted : culms 1 to 2 feet high, 

 smooth, about the length of or shorter than the leaves : pistillate spikes 2 to 4, 

 rather loosely flowered, on peduncles of about their own length, sometimes 

 with a few staminate flowers at their base or apex, the lowest with a bract 

 which exceeds the culm: perigynium nearly orbicular, granular, whitish, 

 entire at the orifice, few-nerved, about half as long as the long-pointed brown- 

 purple scale. — C. irrigua, Smith. Uinta Mountains, Utah. (Eu.) 



* * * Terminal spike club-shaped, staminate below: lateral spikes occasionally 



bearing a few staminate flowers at base. — Atrat^, Kunth. 



•*- Scales, especially of the terminal spike, narrow and acuminate, very acute or 



awned, much longer than the perigynia. 



49. C. Buxbaumii, Wahl. Stoloniferous : culm 1 to 2 feet high, sharply 

 angled, rough above, about the length of the firm, narrow leaves : pistillate 



