carex CYPERACE^) 699 



or the lowest distant, on a peduncle 1-1M inches long: scales purple, or 

 pale in the middle and on the margins, oblong or oval acute or acuminate, 

 divergent, pale yellow above, abruptly rostellate with a purple emarginate 

 beak, longer and broader than the scale. In the mountains. California to 

 • astern Washington and Montana. 



C. stylosa C. A. Meyer Act. Acad, St. Petersb. i, 222, t. 12. 

 Stems slender, erect, 12-18 inches high, rough and leafless above; leaves 

 1-2 lines wide, shorter than the stem : Staminate spikes solitary, nearly 

 sessile, often partly pistillate, an inch or less long: pistillate spikes 2-3, 6 

 lines long or less, the lowest longest, slender-peduncled, the others sessile 

 or nearly so: perigynia turgid-ovate, fuscous, minutely punctate, beakless, 

 the entire orifice closed with the stiff and persistent style from which the 

 stigmas are caducous, longer than the very obtuse black white-ribbed scale. 

 In wet meadows, northern Washington to Alaska and Labiador. 



C. spreta Bailey Mem. Torr. Bot. Club, 1, 6. Stems stout. 12 

 to 18 inches high : leaves 2-3 lines wide, usually equalling or exceeding 

 the stem : spikes sessile 4-6 lines long, and nearly as thick, the upper 2-3 

 contiguous to the staminate spike : perigynia broadly"elliptical, or broader 

 than long, beakless, thin, green, longer, and much broader than the black 

 and muticose faintly white-nerved scale Columbia riverjbottoms. 



C. Tolmiei Boott Hook. Fl. 11, 224. Stem rigid, 12-18 inches high 

 triquetrous, smooth or nearly so : leaves rough on the margins, mostly 

 shorter than the stem : lower bracts leaf-like and about equalling the stem, 

 sheathless : spikes 4-7, the uppermost an inch or less long, staminate and 

 mostly contiguous, oval or oblong 8-12 lines long, dark-colored, often stam- 

 inate at the apex, the 2 or 3 lowest slender-peduncled 1-2 inches long: 

 perigynia compressed-trigonous, oval or oval-oblong, pale and more or less 

 discolored with purple dots, produced into a very short and entire cylind- 

 rical beak, either longer or shorter than the obtuse or muticous purple 

 white-ribbed scale. Oregon to Behring Straits. 



Tar. nigella Bailey Men. Torr. Bot. Club i, 47. Perigynia minutely 

 bidentate : scale narrower and more acute. 



Var, subsessilis Bailey 1. c. Spikes short and thick, very densely 

 flowered the staminate sessile; the pistillate aggregated near the top, 

 eessile or the lowest very shortly peduncled : perigynia broader and more 

 abruptly contracted. Eastern Oregon to Colorado. 



Tar. angusta Bailey 1. c. Taller, leaves very long and narrow, the 

 basal sheaths becoming fibrillose : spikes sessile or lowest peduncled, cy- 

 lindrical: bracts narrow or filiform. Kerbyville Oregon. 



C. Kelloggii W. Boott. Bot. Cal. 11, 240. Stems very slender 12-16 

 inches high, sharply angled and scabrous above : leaves 1-2 lines wide, 

 the cauline shorter, the sterile rather longer than the stem: bracts with- 

 out sheaths, the lowest slightlv exceeding the stem; spikes 4-5, narrowly 

 cylindrical or clavate, short-peduncled and loosely flowered at base, the up- 

 permost staminate, rarely with some pistillate flowers at top or base, 9 

 linns long; pistillate spikes 3-12 lines long, about a line thick: scales 

 purple with pale midrib, obtuse perigynia pale, ovate, tapering to a short 

 beak, the orifice entire, purple, smooth, longer than the scale. In the 

 mountains, California to Brit. Columbia. 



C. decidua Bootr. Linn Trans, xx, 119. Stems 12-18 inches high: 

 leaves 1-3 lines wide, shorter than the stem: bracts without sheaths, the 

 lower exceeding the stem; spikes 4-6, dark purple, oblong or cylindric, the 

 uppermost staminate, at least at base, or at both ends, 12-14* lines long, 

 2-3 lines thick, the others pistillate and solitary or in clusters of 2-3, 6-18 

 lines long, 2-4 lines thick : scales dark purple with pale centre, oblong-oval 



