264 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. IV, July, 1950 
Fig. 7. Distribution of Carex Svenonis Skottsb. 
The characters used to differentiate these spe- 
cies — the shape of the teeth on the margins 
of the perigynia; intensity of nerving, width 
of leaf blades, etc. — are not reliable. Kiiken- 
thal has split the species Carex stellulata 
Good into 12 varieties and forms on charac- 
ters little better than these but which con- 
form to likely geographical distribution. It 
is felt that his more conservative treatment is 
more nearly the one to be accepted. 
In his discussion of the new species Sve- 
nonis, Skottsberg (1944:330) writes at 
length concerning its status. He points out 
clearly the difficulties involved in placing the 
new plant in the midst of a confusion of 
closely related species which have not been 
critically monographed. His conclusion is, 
"It is possible that Carex Svenonis does not 
deserve the rank of a species, certainly not if 
Carex echinata ( stellulata ) is taken in the 
wider sense of Kiikenthal. In any case it is 
an addition to the Hawaiian flora.” Skotts- 
berg does not give enough evidence to delin- 
eate a new species from others in section Stel- 
lulatae. The only character that is of value is 
the occurrence on some culms of staminate 
terminal spikes, but this character is found in 
certain of the North American species ( Carex 
bromoides Schkuhr. ) and, according to Kii- 
kenthal, it also occurs in the species stellulata 
as well as in the section Elongatae. However, 
the species that are published must be criti- 
cally revised for the world. No helpful de- 
cision can be reached for one species without 
a study of the entire sections Stellulatae Mack, 
and Elongatae Kunth. It seems unwise at 
this time to state that Carex Svenonis cannot 
be distinguished from any of many closely 
related species, when it is not even possible 
to determine those species from which it can- 
not be distinguished. Carex Svenonis and a 
large number of untenable segregates must 
be retained until that revision is made. 
Carex Meyenii Nees, Nova Acta Acad. Leop., 
Carol. Nat. Cur. 19, Suppl. I, 1843. 
Figs. 8a— c, 9 
Carex Remyi Boeckeler, Flora 58: 269, 
1875. 
Carex brunnea Thunb. var. /3 Hillebd., 
Flora of the Hawaiian Islands 489, 
1888. 
Carex brunnea var. Meyenii Kiikenth. 
Engler’s Pflanzenreich IV, 20:601, 
1901. 
Rootstocks caespitose forming clumps to 
40 cm. in diameter; basal scales 3-5 mm. 
wide, 0.5-1. 5 mm. long, 5-10 per culm, 
ovate, multinerved, rich brown; fertile culm, 
1-1.5 mm. wide, 30-60 cm. long, sharply 
triagonal, smooth below, lightly scabrous 
above, pendent to semi-erect; leaves 2-3 mm. 
wide, 30-60 cm. long, 5-15 per culm, dark 
green; pendent narrow, lightly scabrous on 
main veins and margins, sheaths tight, closed 
by a hyaline, deeply notched membrane ex- 
