Carex Pendula. Pendulous. Carex. 



Carex Lin. Gen. PL Monoecia Triandria. 



Masc. i phyllus. Cor. o. Fem. Amentum imbricatum. Cal. i phyllus. Cor. 

 o. Nediarium inflatum, 3 dentatum. Germen triquetrum, intra nectarium. 



Rail. Syn. Gen. 28 Herb^ graminifolije non culmifer^e imperfecto seu stamineo. 

 Carex fpicis femininis pendulis longiffimis, capfulis mucronatis ovatis. Haller. hift. 1396. 



Carex -pendula, fpicis fubfeffilibus pendulis, mafcula erecta, femineis cylindricis longiffimis, capfulis 

 fubrotundis acuminatis. Hudjon. PL Angl. ed. 2 p. 411. 



Gramen fpica pendula longiore et anguftiore B. pin, 6. Pr. 13. J. B. 11. 497. 



Gramen cyperoides fpica pendula longiore. Parkins. 1267. Rail. Syn. p. 420. Many-fpiked Cyperus- 

 grafs with long pendulous heads. 



RADIX perennis, non vero repens. 



CULiVlUS tripedalis, ad orgyalem in folo laetiori etiam 

 accedit, triqueter, levis, fuperne ftriatus, fo- 

 liofus. 



FOLIA femunciam lata, viridia abfque ulla glaucedine, 

 oris nervisque fubafperis, minute ferrulatis, 

 minus vero quam in multis aliis hujufce ge- 

 neris. 



SPICiE : omnes pendulae, fuprema e floribus mafculis 

 omnino compofita, craffa, bafi tenuior, fecun- 

 da et tertia femineae apice incraflatae, ubi an- 

 drogynae, inferiores femineae, lineares, lon- 

 giffimas. 



Flores mafculi. 

 SQUAMAE ovato-lanceolatae, acuminatae, e fufco pur- 

 purafcentes, concavas, trinerves. Jig. 1. 



STAMINA : Filamenta tria, capillaria, demiflb pol- 

 line longitudine fquamarum ; Anthers 

 lineares, quadrifulcatae, flavae. Jig. 2. 3. 4. 



Flores feminei. 

 SQUAMAE ut in mafculo. fig. 5. 

 NECTARIUM inflatum, ovato oblongum, glabrum, 



colio contracto. fig. 6. 

 PISTILLUM : Germen triquetrum, intra Nectarium ; 



Stylus breviffimus; Stigmata tria, filifor- 



mia, pubefcentia. fig. 7. 8. 

 SEMEN unicum, ovato acutum, triquetrum. 



ROOT perennial, but not creeping. 



STALK three feet high, in a rich foil growing even 

 to the height of fix feet, three cornered, 

 fmooth, at top ftriated, leafy. 



LEAVES half an inch broad, green without any glau- 

 cous appearance, fomewhat rough from being 

 finely fawed, but much lefs fo than many 

 others of this genus. 



SPIKES : all of them pendulous, the uppermost com- 

 pofed entirely of male flowers, thick, but 

 {lender at its bafe, the fecond and third fe- 

 male, thick at top, with a mixture of male 

 and female flowers, the lower ones female, 

 linear, and very long. 



Flowers of the male. 



SCALES narrow-oval, running out to a long point, of 

 a brownifh purple colour, hollow, with three 

 nbs. fig. 1. 



STAMINA : three Filaments very fine, on the 

 fhedding of the pollen becoming as long as 

 the fcaies ; Anthers linear with four 

 grooves, and of a yellow colour, fig. 2. 3. 4. 

 Flowers of the female. 



SCALES as in the male. fig. 5. 



NECTARY inflated, of an oval oblong ihape, fmooth 

 the neck contracted, fig. 6. 



PISTILLUM: Germen three cornered, within the 

 Nectary; Style very fhort ; Stigmata 

 three, thread-ihaped, and downy, fig. 7. 8. 



SEED fingle, oval pointed, and three cornered. 



We have here given for the firft, a figure and defcription of the Carex pendula, one of a numerous tribe of 

 plants, diitinguifhed not lefs by the Singularity of their fructification, than the difficulty which attends an inves- 

 tigation of their feveral fpecies, from this difficulty the prefent plant may however claim a total exemption, for 

 in whatever Situation it is found, its long, pendulous, female fpikes at once diftinguifh it, thefe when young are 

 very (lender, as the feeds ripen they become much thicker and cylindrical. 



Th's elegant fpecies is found in great abundance in the moitt hedges about Hamjlead and Highgate, flowering 

 in My and ripening its feeds in June. 



It i f not applied fo far as our knowledge at prefent extends to any particular purpofes. 



