ENGELMANN—NORTH AM. SPECIES OF JUNCUS. 440 
before me, and that in size and form these seeds, as well as 
the flowers, anthers and capsules, are intermediate between 
those of the supposed parents, while the number of stamens 
is that of J. effusus. The panicle is remarkably compact, 
and consists of 10-15 secondary branches of nearly equal length. 
7. J. effustts, Lin., is found from Maine to the Rio Grande 
and to the Pacific, but is wanting in some districts. It has 
always three stamens, the small anthers of which are of 
nearly equal length with the filaments. The most prominent 
and very constant character consists in the number of sta¬ 
mens and in the obovate or even clavate, upwards almost 
tricoceous,/e£wse capsule; seeds apiculate and finely lineolate. 
8. J. patens, E. Mey. Syn. Luzul. p. 28; Rel. Hsenk. 1. 
141; Kunth. En. 3, 318; J. compressus , E. Mey. Syn. June, 
p. 16, non H. B. K. This very distinct species seems not to 
have fallen under the observation of botanists since about 
seventy years ago Haenke discovered it near Monterey, Cal., 
until Mr. Bolander and Prof. Brewer again obtained it near 
San Francisco and in the Santa Lucia mountains of that 
State. Meyer’s description in Rel. Haenk. 1. c. is so complete 
that very little can be added. I find, however, the densely 
cespitose, slender, but wiry stems, not compressed but terete, 
and distinctly striate; they are 15 inches to 2 h and 3 feet 
high including the spathe, which has a length of 3 or 4 to 8 
or 10 inches; their base is enclosed by elongated sheaths, 
brownish-red below and greenish straw-colored upwards, 
tipped with a conspicuous awn; the panicle, 1-2 inches long, 
consists of 3-5 larger branches, with the ultimate branchlets 
one-sided, spreading, or recurved, whence the specific name. 
The flowers are not quite as large as those of J. Balticus , 
and much lighter colored; sepals lanceolate, acute, exterior 
ones subulate at tip, equalling, or slightly exceeding, the inner 
ones, spreading in fruit; stamens about half the length of the 
sepals, and anthers nearly equal to the filaments ; ovary with 
the short style about the length of the stigmas. The sub- 
globose, mucronate capsule, a little shorter than the sepals, 
opens with septifragal dehiscence, the three placentae with 
their membranaceous wings, remnants of the dissepiments, 
remaining in the center. The very numerous seeds are ovate, 
obtuse, usually oblique, obliquely apiculate, delicately lineo¬ 
late, 0.22-0.30 lines long. 
9. J. FiLiFORMis, Lin., which was formerly often taken for 
J. setaceus by American botanists, extends from Oneida lake 
in western New York to the White Mountains in New 
Hampshire, and to Maine, is common in Lower Canada and 
in the Hudson Bay region, and has also been found from the 
northern Rocky Mountains to the Cascade Mountains. The 
[May, 1866.] 29 
