BEPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST 



175 



86. Carex varia Muhl. 



Stems high, rather stout, erect or spreading, roughish 



above the middle ; basal bracts bright purple, fibrillose ; leaves 

 mostly shorter than the culm, Y-Vf wide, rough ; staminate spike 

 clavate, 4 "-12" long, sessile or short-stalked, tawny or brown ; 

 pistillate spikes 2-5, usually 3, globular or oblong, sessile or 

 sometimes the lowest short-peduncled, all separate or the upper 

 2 occasionally contiguous, each with a scale-like bract or the 

 lower 2 subtended by leaf-like bracts |'-2' long; perigynia sub- 

 rotund or obovate, pubescent, abruptly contracted into a short 

 bifid beak, covered by the ovate, pointed, pale-greenish, whitish 

 or tawny-brown scale. (C. communis Bailey, Gray's Man., 6th ed.) 



It is noteworthy that the smallest plants often have the long 

 staminate spikes, and commonly the tall plants the short spikes 

 which are 4 // --6 // long. In his description of this species Muhlen- 

 berg remarks, " variat spica mascula abbreviata etelongata." No 

 other species in this group is known to have such a variable 

 staminate spike. 



In some of its forms C. Pennsylvanica approaches this species, 

 but the absence of creeping rootstocks, the paler scales of the 

 pistillate spikes and the more constant green foliaceous bract of 

 the lowest spike will distinguish this plant. The scale of the 

 pistillate spike is often entirely whitish or scarious except the 

 green midrib. The species is found chiefly in hilly or rocky 

 places in loose or gravelly soil. It seems to avoid sandy soil. 

 It matures its fruit in May and June. 



The name C. varia Muhl. formerly applied to this species was 

 referred by Prof. Bailey to C. Emmonsii Dew., and in its place he 

 substituted C. communis Bailey. This name was discarded in 

 the List of Plants of Northeastern North America, and C. pedi- 

 cellata Britton adopted in its stead. 



87. Carex Emmonsii Dew. 

 Stems capillary, high, suberect or procumbent, smooth; 



basal sheaths dull purplish-brown, mostly green at the extremi- 

 ties, slightly fibrillose ; leaves lax, about \" wide or more, flat, 

 rough-margined, shorter than the culm or sometimes surpassing 

 it; staminate spike slender, subclavate, sessile about 3" long, 



