Botanical Novelties — St. John 
161 
tion: spikelet slender; plant appearing like a 
variety of Ekocham palustris. If this plant (see 
Fig. 2) is compared with E. palustris (see 
Rhodora 31: pi. JL81, figs. 1-4), it will be seen 
that the spikelets are much more slender. 
Svenson also refers to E. macrostachya the 
Oahu plant described from the collection by 
Meyen. This was published as: "E. palustris 
R. Br. (jd Australis Nees squamis spicae acu- 
tiusculis albis tenuibus nervo medio pallide 
viridi litura cuspitato fusco cincto.). 
In Oahu insula, Maio 1831, Meyen; ex ea- 
dem insula Macrae in Herb. Lindl.” 
Both Scirpus nudissimus Steud. and Eleo- 
charis palustris var. australis were referred by 
Svenson to E. macrostachya Britt. This species, 
occurring from Illinois to British Columbia, 
south to Louisiana, California, and Micho= 
acan, is recognizable by having culms com- 
pressed, soft, very flat after pressure; lowest 
sterile scales 2-3; achenes averaging 1 mm. 
wide; bristles 5-6 (or -8, or 0) very delicate, 
often overtopping the achene and style base, 
the teeth slender. On the other hand, the 
Hawaiian E. palustris var. australis has the culm 
terete, soft, little flattened under pressure; 
lowest sterile scale 1, encircling the base M 
way; achenes 1.2-1. 3 mm. wide; the 4 bristles 
stout, nearly or quite equalling the achene 
body, with stout retrorse teeth. 
It is also related to E. palustris (L.) R. & S., 
and more closely to its var. viajor bonder 
which occurs from Labrador to British Co- 
lumbia and south to Pennsylvania, Iowa, 
Wyoming, and California. This var. major has 
the sheaths 3-30 cm. long, comparatively 
loose; culms 5-19 dm. tall; spikelets 0.7-2. 6 
cm. long, 2.5-7 mm. thick, lanceolate to 
ovoid, 14 as wide as long; basal scales 2-3; 
lower and median fertile scales 3. 2-5. 5 mm. 
long; bristles 4, slender, commonly reaching 
to the middle of the style base; style base 
lanceoloid-conic, much higher than broad. 
The Hawaiian var. australis has the sheaths 
3-8 cm. long, close; culms 1-12 dm. tall; 
spikelets 1.3-1. 7 mm. long, 2. 5-3. 5 mm. 
thick, narrowly linear-lanceoloid, 14 as wide 
as long; basal scale 1; lower and median 
fertile scales 3-4 mm. long; the 4 bristles 
stout, nearly or quite equalling the achene; 
style base deltoid-ovoid, as wide as long. In 
any other group, this isolated Hawaiian kind, 
having significant characters that separate it 
in the keys from the American and Eurasian 
species, in this instance from E. palustris, E. 
calva, and E. macrostachya, and even by its 
truncate, indurate, apiculate sheaths from 
subseries Palustres, a natural conclusion 
would be that it too should be classed as a 
species. However, consideration should be 
given to the commentary on the subseries 
Palustres by the recent monographer of the 
genus, H. K. Svenson (1939: 55, 59). 
In the eastern United States . . . the entities 
are clear; in Europe and in the western United 
States, the situation seems to be chaotic. 
The Palustres, chiefly of holarctic distribu- 
tion, have probably spread out in post-glacial 
time, achieving a variation comparable with 
that of Rubus or Crataegus. In Western United 
States, with its natural barriers and diversi- 
fied terrain, numerous intergrading geograph- 
ical races have developed, the most note- 
worthy of which I have illustrated by draw- 
ings and photographs. It would be perfectly 
easy to describe more species in this group, 
adding to the plethora of intangible species, 
but I have made little or no change. In my 
mind, there is even some question whether 
more than a single good species of the 
Palustris group exists in northwestern Europe, 
and whether in Europe these are not environ- 
mental responses to sea-strand, meadow, and 
bog, which parallel the variation of E. pa- 
lustris in western America. Although I have 
spent an inordinate amount of time on this 
group and have seen a vast amount of ma- 
terial, the problems do not appear to be close 
to solution. . . . The Palustris group appears 
to be equally complex in Asia. . . . 
He gives many details of the variability or 
plasticity of E. palustris and its relatives in 
Europe. 
Realizing these facts, it does not appear 
wise to give the Hawaiian Eleocharis specific 
rank, even though there is a name available 
