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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



tiguous, the uppermost sessile, the others on short peduncles, 

 erect or spreading ; bracts leafy, sheathless, often transversely 

 wrinkled at the base, exceeding the culm ; perigynia oblong, 

 faintly nerved, pointless, as long as the pointed scale. 



Fields and grassy places. Common. June. 



The species is well marked by the somewhat clustered, short- 

 peduncled, fertile spikes, and the oblong obscurely-nerved point- 

 less perigynia. 



65. Carex aurea Nutt. 



Stems 3-18' high, slender, erect or subprocumbent, smooth 

 below, roughish above ; leaves mostly shorter than the culm (or 

 exceeding it in pigmy forms) wide, smooth, slightly rough 

 on the margins, bright green; stagnate spike clavate, 3"-8" long, 

 sessile and inconspicuous, or stalked and manifest ; pistillate 

 spikes 2-4, cylindrical, 3"-9" long, the upper 2 contiguous, sessile 

 or subsessile, erect or slightly spreading, the lower subdistant, on 

 slender peduncles V-V in length, suberect or spreading, some- 

 times a subradical spike is present on a long, suberect peduncle ; 

 bracts leaf -like, sheathing, exceeding the culm ; perigynia ovoid 

 or pyriform, nerved, thick, yellowish or golden brown at matur- 

 ity, obtuse at the apex, longer than the ovate, acute ormucronate 

 scale ; stigmas 2 or 3, achenium lenticular, apiculate. 



Wet springy ground and banks of streams. June, July. 



This interesting and infrequent species may be distinguished 

 by its small pyriform yellowish-brown perigynia and lenticular 

 achenia. 



66. Carex glaucodea Tuckm. 



Stems 6-20' high, erect or spreading, smooth ; leaves mostly 

 subradical, usually shorter than the culm, ltf-V wide, rough at 

 the extremities, smooth on the lower half, glaucous or pale green ; 

 staminate spike subclavate, 6"-9" long, sessile, sometimes incon- 

 spicuous; pistillate spikes 2-4, subdensely flowered, perfectly 

 cylindrical, £-1' long, the upper 2 usually approximate, the lower 

 on erest, exserted stalks J-'-l' in length, or the lowest remote on 

 a filiform spreading or recurved peduncle 2-5' long, glaucous, 

 turning to a dull brown ; bracts like the leaves, sheathing, all but 

 the lowest exceeding the culm ; perigynia oblong-ovate, numer- 

 ously finely nerved, of a thick or leathery texture, tapering to 

 an acutish, entire or notched apex, about twice longer than the 



