480 THE SEDGE FAMILY. [Oadium. 



usually 2. Style branches 3. Nut tapering at the top, the outer coating 

 thick and fleshy when fresh, brittle when dry. 0. germanicum, Schrad. 

 In deep bogs and marshy places, in most temperate and some tro- 

 pical regions of the globe, extending northward in Europe to southern 

 Scandinavia. In Britain, thinly scattered over England, frequent in 

 the west of Ireland, and very rare in Scotland. Fl. late in summer. 



IV. RHYNCHOSPORA. BEAKSEDGE. 



Spikelets several, in 1 or more clusters, forming terminal or axil- 

 lary heads or panicles. Each spikelet oblong, more or less pointed ; 

 the glumes imbricated all round the axis, 1 to 3 of the upper or inner 

 ones containing each a flower, the lower or outer ones shorter and 

 empty. Stamens 3 or rarely 2. Hypogynous bristles 6 or sometimes 

 more, shorter than the glumes. Nuts globular or laterally flattened, 

 tapering into a 2-cleft style. 



A considerable genus, widely dispersed over the surface of the globe, 

 formerly united with Schcenus, but well distinguished by the glumes 

 imbricated all round the axis, not arranged in 2 opposite rows. 



Spikelets brown. Outer bract projecting an inch beyond the flowers . 1. M. fusca. 

 Spikelets white. Outer bract snorter or scarcely longer than the 



flowers 2. M. alba. 



1. R. fusca, Linn. (fig. 1088). Brown B. — Near R. alba, but rather 

 firmer, with a creeping rootstock. Stem 6 to 10 inches high, with a 

 few short, erect, subulate leaves ; the floral ones or bracts projecting 

 an inch or more beyond the flowers. Spikelets brown, usually forming 

 2 rather loose clusters, one terminal, the other on a slender pedicel, 

 in the axil of the next leaf ; each spikelet about 2 \ lines long, contain- 

 ing usually 2 flowers, with 3 or 4 empty outer glumes. Hypogynous 

 bristles about 6, small and very unequal. 



In bogs, chiefly in northern and western Europe, in the mountains 

 of central Europe, and in North America, In Britain, confined to 

 southern and western England and Ireland. Fl. summer. 



2. It. alba, Vahl. (fig. 1089). White #.— Stems 6 to 9 inches high, 

 slender, forming dense, grass-like tufts, without any creeping rootstock. 

 Leaves chiefly radical, short and subulate ; the floral bracts scarcely 

 exceeding the flowers. Spikelets nearly white, in a small, loose ter- 

 minal cluster, often with 1 or 2 smaller clusters on slender ped- 

 uncles in the axils of the next leaves. Each spikelet 2 to 2J lines long, 

 with 1 or 2 flowers, and 2, 3, or 4 empty glumes before them. Hypo- 

 gynous bristles about 12, more apparent than in B. fusca, being usually 

 rather longer than the nut, although shorter than the glume. 



In bogs, in northern and central Europe, northern Asia, and North 

 America. Generally distributed over Britain. Fl. summer and autumn. 



V, BLYSMUS. BLYSMUS. 



Spikelets and flowers of Scirpus, but the spikelets are sessile, in 2 

 opposite rows, along the axis of a short terminal spike. 

 A genus limited to the two European species, often united with 



Scirpus. 



