126 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



apex tipped with a short entire point ; scale ovate, acute or 

 mucronate, thin, white, about one-half the length of the 

 perigynium. 



Readily distinguished by the naked or unprotected appearance 

 of the well-rounded perigynia. 



A small form occurs which is 4'- 6' high, rather rigid, with 

 3-5 spikelets and the bristle shaped bract of the lowest spikelet 

 often wanting. 



Stamps and wet places. Not rare. June. 



2. Carex chordorhiza Ehrh. 



Stems 6-18' high, erect, smooth, naked, or the prominent 

 basal sheaths terminating in narrow blades J'-l' in length ; leaf- 

 stems branching and rooting at the base, springing from the 

 large creeping rootstock, 3-5' high ; leaves variable in length, 

 the lower ^'-2' long, those above, usually partly tufted, 3-6' in 

 length, erect or spreading, 1" wide or less, flat or involute, rough 

 margined ; spikelets 3- 5, aggregated in an ovoid head 3"-6" long, 

 brown ; perigynia elliptical-ovate, biconvex, nerved, ttf long, 

 contracted into a short entire or notched beak about the length 

 of the ovate, acute brown scale ; bracts scale-like and inconspicu- 

 ous except the lowest which is sometimes short setaceous. 



Easily determined by its chord-like, extensively creeping 

 rootstock. 



Sphagnous swamps and swampy shores of lakes and streams. 

 Rare. July. Herkimer, Oneida and Seneca counties, and boggy 

 margins of lakes in the North woods Paints Catalogue. 



Inflorescence branched, the spikelets panicled or densely 

 clustered. 



Perigynia biconvex, blackish, shining. 1 



Perigynia compressed-ovate, not shining vulpinoidea. 



1 Perigynia ovate, stipitate teretiuscula. 



1 Perigynia obovate, sessile decomposita. 



3. Carex teretiuscula Good. 



Stems 18-30' high, slender, erect, obtusely angled, rough near 

 the spike ; leaves usually shorter than the culm, l'-lj' wide, 

 somewhat involute when dry, rough on the edges ; spike 

 panicled, 1-2' long, brown ; spikelets small, crowded on short 



