Carex Acuta. Acute Carex. 



CL%REX acuta fpicis mafculis pluribus, obtufis, fquamis obtufiufculis, caule acutangulo. 



CAREX acuta fpicis mafculis pluribus, femineis fubfefiilibus, caplUlis obtufiufculis. Lin. Syfi\ Vegetab» 



p, 706. Sp. H, p. 1388. Fl. Sitec. n. 857. 

 CAREX glauca Scopoli Fi. Cam. n. 1157. ? 



CYPEROIDES foliis Caryophylleis, cauie exquifite triangulari, fpicis habitioribus, fquamis curtis, obtuse 

 mucronatis, capfulisturbinatis, brevibus, confertis. Michel Nov. Gen. p. 62. tab. 32. f. 22. 

 GRAMEN cyperoides foliis caryophylleis vulgatiifimum, Rait hijl. 1292. 

 CAREX ciefpitofa var /3. Lightjoot Hi. Scot. ? 



RADIX perennis, repens. | ROOT perennial, and creeping. ^ . 



CULMUS in aquofis, bipedalis et ultra, foliofus, nodofus, | STALK in wet fituations, two feet high, and upwards, 

 ftriatus, triqueter, angulis acutis, aiperis. leafy, jointed, ftriated, three cornered, the 



I angles (harp, and rough. 



FOLIA tres lineas lata, glauca, carinata, ad margines f LEA VES, three lines in breadth, glaucous, keeled, the 

 carinarhque afpera | edges and keel rough. ^ 



SPICiE mafculae et femineae diftindbe, mafculte plerum- % SPIKES, male and female, diftindt ; male fpikes generally 

 que tres, erete, remotiufculae, oblongae, ob- 1 three, upright, at a little diftance from each 



tufas, e purpureo-nigrae feu fufcgc, fuprema M- \ other, oblong, obtufe, of a purplim, black, or 



cunciali, inferioribus brevioribus, inacqualibus, | brown colour, the uppermoft an inch and a 



bracteatae, bra&ea inferiore fpicis breviore : fe-$ half in length, the lower ones fhorter and un- 



m'mt-cz duae, vel tres, longiores, et graciliores, % equal, furnifhed with floral leaves, of which, 



pedunculate, plerumque erecxae, apicibus faepef the lowermoft is fhorter than the fpikes; ft- 



mafculis. % ma ^ e fpikes two or three, longer and flenderer 



I than the male, {landing on footftalks. tor the 



I moft part upright, the tips frequently male. 



Flos Masc. | Male Flower. 



SQUAMAE plurimae, ar&e imbricate, ovato-oblongae, ob- 1 SCxALES, numerous, clofely imbricated, of an ovate 

 tufa?, e fufco-purpureae, nervo medio vireicente. | oblong fhape, obtufe, of a brownun purple co- 



fig, 1. I lour, the midrib greenifh, fig. 1 



STAMINA^: Filamenta tria, filiformia, alba; An-? STAMINA: Three Filaments, filiform, and white; 

 ther^e bite&.fig. 2. I Anthers, yellow, Jig. 2. 



Flos Fem. | Female Flower. 



SQUAMiE ovato-acuminatse, fuperne ad lentem denti- % SCALES ov?te, and pointed, the upper part when mag- 

 culis ciiiatae, fig. 3. ? nified edged with fine teeth, fig. 3. 



NECTARIUM ovatum, glabrum, ore faepius bidentato, * NECTAR Y ovate, fmooth, the mouth molt commonly 

 fig, 4. I having two teeth, fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM: Germen parvum, intra ne&arium ; t PISTILLUM : Germen fmall, within the neftary; 

 Stylus nedario paulo longior ; Stigmata* Style a little longer than the nect-ary ; Stig- 



tria, patentia.7%". 5« f mat a three, fpreading, fig. s{ 



SEMEN triquetrum, fig. 8. 9. intra ne&arium biden-*SEED three cornered, fig, 8. 9. contained within a. 

 tztum. fig. 6. 7. I neaary having two teeth, fig. 6. 7. 



the fpikes themfelves, but of the fcales compofing the male fpikes of the acuta, and the narrow leaves and {lender 



appearance of the fpikes in the gracilis, joined to the want of that glaucous hue in the leaves, fo confpicuous in thofe 



of the two 



garden, an 



minutely to their part 



that they are three fpecies immutably diftin£t. 



The largeft and perhaps the moft generally common of the three is our riparia, which we have difhnguiiried by 

 that name, from its being found on the edges of rivers, it will alfo grow in the middle ^f a ditch or pond, and if 

 fuffered to'encreafe will quickly fill up any piece of water, being in this refpecl almoft equal to the Poa aquatica, and 

 Typba latifolia ; it alfo, by means of its powerfully creeping roots, eafily makes its way through any moorifh ground, 

 and hence is often found in meadows themfelves, and though much fmaller in fuch fituations, its ftriking characters 

 are equally diftinft. Where it grows luxuriantly, its fpikes, efpecially the lowermoft of the female ones, frequently 

 become branched, which gives them a very outre appearance, that may puzzle for a moment : as the male fpikes on 

 their firft appearance are fo eafily diftinguifhed by their pointed and angular appearance, fo the female fpikes, when 

 nearly ripe, are diftinguiilied from the two others by having large, fomewhat inflated, and pointed capiules, {lightly 



rip' 

 bifid at the extremity 



The 

 writers 



fynonyms of this and the two other fpecies are fo confounded together, that to trace them through all the 

 that have written on the fiubject. would be an endlefs talk, it will be fufficient therefore to have quoted a few 

 which may be depended on. < • 



The Acuta is next in fize, at leaft with refpecl to the breadth of its leaves, to the Riparia, and is found in fitua- 



tions exac 

 eafily be 



thefe fpikes 1 to be three-cornered, yet the°angles are always very obtufe, to which we may add that the colour of 

 them before the Antherae come forth is much brighter, and fometimes a fpike is found perfectly brilliant; the fe- 

 male fpikes, as well as thofe of the male, are fewer in number, as well as fmaller ; nor have they that tendency to 

 be pendulous which thofe of the Riparia frequently have, the Capfules when ripe are alfo much fmaller, more nu- 

 merous and no ways inflated, but very fimilar to thofe of the gracilis ; we may further remark, that while the 

 Squamae in the male Spikes before the burfting forth of the Antherae are invariably obtufe, thofe of the female fpikes 

 are pointed, and that while this plant in its ftrong ftate may eafily be miftaken for the Riparia, in its weak ftate it 

 approaches very near the recurva, which alfo is a fpecies perfedly diftincT:. 



