490 THE SEDGE FAMILY. [ Carex. 
Europe. In Britain limited to the higher mountains of Scotland. #7. 
summer, ee th 
4, ©. paucifiora, Lightf. (fig. 1111). Few-flowered Carex.—A slender 
species, with long, creeping runners, and a loosely branched stem, decum- 
bent at the base, or rarely forming dense tufts, and not above 6 inches 
high. Leaves narrow, the upper ones sheathing the stem to nearly the 
middle, and often nearly as long. Spikelet solitary, pale brown, 3 or 
scarcely 4 lines long, with few flowers, the 2 or 38 uppermost male, the 2 
or 3 lower female, with 3-cleft styles. Fruits narrow and pointed, nearly — 
as long as the whole spikelet, spreading or reflexed when ripe. 
In moors and swamps, in northern and Arctic Europe, Asia, and 
America, and in the higher mountain-ranges of central Europe. Rather 
frequent in the Highlands of Scotland, more local in northern England, 
and not recorded from Ireland. Fl. summer. 
5. C.leporina, Linn. (fig. 1112). Oval Carex.—Stems loosely tufted 
at the base, forming at length a short, horizontal rootstock, and attaining 
a foot or more in height. Leaves usually considerably shorter. Spikelets 
4 to 6, sessile, distinct, but very close together, ovoid, brownish-green 
and shining, about 4 lines ‘long, consisting chiefly of female flowers, with 
a few males at the base of each spikelet. Outer bracts like the glumes or 
the lowest rarely with a short, leafy point. Styles 2-cleft. Fruits flat, 
with a scarious wing or border. C. ovalis, Good. 
In moist meadows, and pastures, over the whole of Europe and tem- 
perate Asia, found also in the Rocky Mountains of North America. Gene- 
- rally diffused over Britain. 71. summer, rather early. ' 
6, C.lagopina, Wahlenb. (fig. 1113). Hare’s.foot Carex. Very near 
C. leporina, but a smaller plant, seldom above 8 or 9 inches high, form- 
ing rather dense tufts, with the leaves about half the height of the stems. 
Spikelets usually 3 or 4, very close together, of the shape of those of C. 
leporina, but rather smaller, and the fruits, although flat, are not winged 
as in that species. 
An alpine plant, not unfrequent in northern Europe, Asia, and America, 
at high latitudes, and in the higher mountain-ranges of central and southern 
Europe. In Britain, only on the loftiest mountains of Aberdeen, and 
there extremely rare. Fl. summer. 
7. C. elongata, Linn. (fig. 1114). Hlongated Carex.—When first 
flowering this plant has the appearance of tall, luxuriant specimens of C. 
canescens, often attaining 2 feet, but the spikelets are browner, and the 
ripe fruit attains near 2 lines, tapers into a point, and spreads more or less 
from the axis, projecting far beyond the glumes. The spikelets are longer, 
narrower, and not near so close as in C. leporina, and the fruits are not 
at all winged. 
In marshes, in central and northern Europe, and northern Asia, from 
northern Spain and Italy almost to the Arctic circle, and in North-West 
America. Kare in Britain, although it has been found in several counties 
of England, in the south of Scotland, and in Antrim in Ireland. 7. early 
summer. 
8, C. stellulata, Gooden. (fig. 1115). Star-headed Carex.—A tufted 
species, rarely above 6 or 8 inches high, with the leaves mostly shorter 
