North American Cyjjeracece. 333 
to increase the confusion, Schultes, finding that ^Muhlenberg 
had described a S. Ivieatus with bristles, considered it a new 
species, and named it S. amhiguus, but I have ascertained 
Muhlenberg's plant to be identical with the S. divaricatus of 
Elliott. 
North American species of Scirpus which are little known. 
1. S. RETicuLATUS, Lam. ill. 1. p. 142; Umm. &f Schult. syst. 2. p. 
148 ; Poir. enc. nieth. 6. p. 771. 
"S. culmo gladiato nudo, aspero, uinbellaconiposita foliacea, involu- 
cri foliis reticulatis. E Carolina, D. Eraser.'" Lam. 1. c. 
Ob3. To this very brief and imperfect specific character of Lamark, 
the following description is added by Poiret: " Cuhnus basi foliosus sub- 
trigonus subsfriatus, angulis acutis asperis. Pcdunculi inesquales rigidi 
angulosi ; spicule in umbellis partialibus fasciculatee, tenues, parvulae 
oblongae acutje pedunculatac, subfulvae. Glumes angustcC, lanceolatae 
acutffi. /nroZMcru?tt universale foliolis 6 — Saniplis, ina;qualibus, floribus 
multo longioribiis, margine asperis ; partiale e foliolis duobus oppositis 
lanceolatis acutis longioribus spiculis. — S. sylvatico proximus." Enc. 
meth. — Even this description is insufficient for determining either the 
species or the proper genus of the plant, as no notice is taken of the 
bristles, style or nut. 
2. S. cAROLiNiANus, Lam. ill. 6. p. 142. 
" S. culmo subtriquetro filiformi, umbella composita involucri 2- 
phyllo longuisculo. E Carolina, D. Eraser.'' — Lam. 1. c. 
Obs. Vahl refers Lamark's plant to Eimhristylis castanea, but with 
some doubt whether it might not belong to Scirpus autumnalis. It is 
impossible to iden'ufy the species by the brief character here quoted. 
3. S. >'iTE>"s, Vahl, eniim. 2. p. 272 ; Pwrs//,^. 1. p.56 ; Isolepis 
nitens, Rcsm. Sf Schult. 2. p. 117. 
" S. spicis ovatis pedicellatis, corymbis subcompositis axillaribua 
terminalibusque, culmo tereti. 
" Culmus semipedalis, articulatis, teclis vaginis foliorum: folia radicalia 
culmo bre viora, laxa, linearia ; involucri foliola alterna subulata, inferiora 
vix unguicularia. OchreRs breves, oblique truncatae. Corymbus pe- 
dunculis 6, axillares, simplex, pedunculis 4 — 5 unguicularibus, totidem 
pedicellis 1 — 2-stachyis. Spicse magnittidine seminis Coriandri, totse 
usco-ferrugineae, "' " • squamis ovatis, acutis. Stylus bifidus basi 
