Carex Acuta. Acute Carex. 
CAREX «*. fficis mafculis pluribus, obtufis ' L» Syji. Vegetal'. 
CAREX acuta fpicis mafculis pluribus, femmeis fifofeflillbus, capum 
p 706. Sp. I I. p. 1388 FI. Saec. n. 857. 
CAREX glauca Scuff nn Cam. n. .157 ? tr ; laI j, fpim habitioribus, fquamis turris, obtuse 
CYPEROIDES barbus, louter,^ Michel Nov. Gen. p. 6 z. *. 3- *■ 
GRAMEN cyperoides foliis caryophylleis vulgatiffimum. Rtu <J ■ 1 - 9 - 
CAREX csefpitofa var / 3 . Ligbtjoat FI. Seat. > 
t ROOT perennial, and creeping. 
RADIX perennis, repens. .a, * STALK in wet fituations, two feet high, and upwards, 
CULMUS in aquofis, bipedalis et ultra, fohofus, nodofus, jointed, ftriated, three cornered, the 
n ■ «■■». Mnafoi* -in (Til lie ar.lltis. aiDeriS. U' J , , 
JJ 111 HMUUuai . . r 
ftriatus, triqueter, angulis acutis, aiperxs. 
FOLIA tres lineas lata, glauca, carinata, ad margines; 
carinamque afpera 
SPICAE lnalculae ct femineae diftin&ae, mafeula plerum- 
que tres, ereftae, remotiufculae, oblonga, ob- 
tulie, e purpureo-nigraS feu fulca:, fuprema lel- 
cunciali, inferioribus brevioribus, inaequalibus, 
braiSeatie, bradlea inferiore fpicis breviore : fe- 
minea duae, vel tres, longiores, et graciliores, 
pedunculatae, plerumque eredes, apicibus fepe 
malculis 
angles (harp, and rough. , 
LEAVES, three lines in breadth, glaucous, keeled, the 
edges and keel rough. 
SPIKES male and female, diftinft; male fpikes generally 
three, upright, at a little diftance from each 
other, oblong, obtufe, of a purplifti, black, or 
: brown colour, the uppermoft ,an inch and a 
half in length, the lower ones (horter and un- 
equal, furnifhed with floral leaves, of which 
the lowermoft is (horter than the fpikes ; Je- 
tnale fpikes two or three, longer and tenderer 
than the male, (landing on footftallcs, for the 
mod part upright, the tips frequently male. 
Male Flower. 
% 
l 
I Male f lower. 
Flos Masc. , t cpil F.S numerous, clofely imbricated, of an ovate 
SQUAMiE plurimse, arfte imbricat®, ovato-qblqng , j - ’ 0 blon» Ihape, obtufe. of a brownilh purple co- 
tufa, e fcfco-pnrpurae, nervo medio virelcente. | ‘“Ihe midrib greeuilh, fig. I 
fig- «• . An ? STAMINA: Three Filaments, filiform, and white; 
STAMINA: Filamenta tna, filiformia, alba , AH-tblAMlNA^^ ^ ^ . 2 . 
THERaE luteae, jig. 2. | , Female Flower. 
Flos Fem. denti- ! SCALES ovrte, and pointed, the upper part when mag- 
SQUAMAE ovato -acuminate, fupeme ad lentem denti I SC AU ^ fine teeth> h . 3 . 
culls ciliatae, fig. 3 - Mantato * NECTARY ovate' fmooth, the mouth mod commonly 
NECTARiUM ovatum, glabrum, ore fepius bidcntato. J « ^ teeth> ^ 4 . 
fig 4- ■ npAnrinm ■ ♦ PISTILLUM : Gehmen fmall, within the neftary; 
PISTILLUM: Geemen parvum, !“ r . 1 Style a little longer than the neftary ; Stio- 
Stylus neftarto paulo longior. Stigmata ^ ta thrce , fprc Sdit,g, jig. 5. 
tna, patentia, fig. 5- *QPT?n three cornered, fin. 8. 9. contained within a 
SEMEN triquetrum, fg. S. 9 . “ aa ™ m t» d “i SEED three t eeth, fig.fi.q. 
tatuin .fig. 6. 7. f 
. , f , .. mnn i: nn . fV, P male fpikes of the acuta, and the narrow leaves and (lender 
the fpikes themfelves, but of the (tales p , 8 ’ t G f thafglaucous hue in the leaves, fo confpicuous in thofe 
appearance of the fpikes m the home their roots, and planted them in my 
of the two tormer ; imprefled with th g PF n-jj k t t ^ e fame appearances. I then attended more 
that they are three lpecies comrn on of the three is our riparia, which we have diftinguifhed by 
The large!! and perhaps the moft generally common or ^ ^ ^ .f ^ mUdle of a ditch or po „d, and if 
that name, from its being tod on tl g.^ of ^ bdn „ ; n this refpefl almoft equal to the Poa aquatica, and 
fuffered to encreafe will quickly P 1 ' P cree ; n „ r00tSi ejfliy ma kes its way through any moonlh ground, 
Typba Lit, film- alio ’ , b ? n ‘“” d themfelves Lid though much fealler in fuch fituations, its flriking charaflers 
" nd f P ik “’ rf P“ id ' 7 thE * ° f tlW ale ones frequ^tly 
are equally diitintt. wnereitg 1 that may puzzle for a moment : as the male fpikes on 
become branched, which give . 7 d b t ^ ir pointed and angular appearance, fo the female fpikes when 
by having large, foiSewhat inflated, and pointed capfules, fl.ghtly 
bil Th' and the two other fpecies are fo confounded together, that to trace them through all the 
writer^ 1« S^written on the fubjeefr would be an endlefs talk, it will be fufficient therefore to have quoted a few 
which may be depended on. the breadth of ; ts leaves, to the Riparia and is found in f.tua- 
• The X M Ltd they very^ frequently grow together, and, from the great fimilarity of their foliage may 
tIO n rtrfttded’. when young, rite bluntnefs of its male fpikes and obtufenefs of their Squamse, fo as totally to 
eafily be eonfonnded, 7 » dil rmgui(hes it from the Riparia, and though there is frequently a tendency in 
want any kind of Aril • 7 the ancles are always very obtufe, to which we may add that the colour of 
rhefe ipikes ^ foS Is much brighter, Ld foLrimes’a fpike is found petfeSly brilliant; the ft. 
them before the Anthe ^ ml . are fewe ,. in num ber, as well as fmaller; nor have they that tendency to 
K 3 f dulou s a wffich thofe of the Riparia frequently have, the Capfules when ripe are alfo much fmaller, more nu- 
be pendulous wtacht bw P £m ] lar to thofc 0 f the gracilis-, we may further remark, that while the 
merous, md ttc '1 y ® the bnrfting forth of the Antherae are invariably obtufe, thofe of the female fpikes 
in its Irong fete may eafily be miftaken for, he Riparia, m its weak fete it 
approaches very near the recurva, which alio is a fpecies perfeflly diftmft. If 
