ENGELMANN—NORTH AM. SPECIES OF JUNCUS. 481 
geographical range. Their compressed or ancipitous stems 
usually come from a creeping rhizoma, and bear laterally 
compressed, or averse, equitant leaves, which in the larger 
forms resemble greatly those of Sisyrinchium and other 
iridaceous plants, and which are very imperfectly septate 
or articulate; their sheath sometimes terminates with two 
auriculae or stipular appendages, or frequently, and in the 
same species, imperceptibly runs out into the edge of the leaf. 
The flowers, always pedieelled, are brown, mostly deep chest¬ 
nut, rarely greenish or paler, and are arranged in few or many- 
flowered heads ; in many species we find forms with single 
or few large heads in clusters, and others with numerous 
small heads disposed in compound panicles. The sepals are 
mostly broad, the outer ones acute or acuminate, the inner 
ones often shorter and obtuse, rarely longer, gften variable 
even in flowers of the same head. The number of stamens 
also varies in the same species. The style is distinct, either 
short, or sometimes very long. The mucronate capsule is 
about as long or rarely longer than the calyx, nearly one- 
celled. Seeds reticulate, with smoothish or lineolate arese. 
They inhabit the western slope of North America and extend 
to the Asiatic side of the Pacific. 
48. J. xiphioides, E. Meyer, Syn. June. 50 et Rel. Haenk. 
1, 143 ; Kunth, 1. c. 331: caulibus (1-4-pedalibus) e rhizo- 
mate crasso repente erectis ancipitibus; capitulis pauci-vel 
multifloris paucis plurimisve; floribus pedicellatis; sepalis 
lanceolatis subulato-acuminatis aequalibus seu interioribus 
obtusioribus brevioribus stamina 6 seu raro (in var. e) 3 fere 
duplo superantibus capsulam prismaticam acutam mucrona- 
tam hinc rostratara plerumque sequantibus; antheris oblongo- 
linearibus filamentum fere sequantibus; ovario ovato in sty- 
lum breviorem attenuato, stigmatibus subexsertis; seminibus 
ovato-oblanceolatis utrumque apiculatis lineolato-reticulatis. 
Var. a, littoralis: caulibus robustis elatis ( 2-4-pedalibus); 
foliis latis iridaceis, vaginis saepius inappendiculatis; paniculae 
saepe supradecompositae capitulis pauci- vel pluri-(3-20)floris 
e stramineo fuscis; sepalis subaequilongis capsula acuta seu 
rostrata vix brevioribus; antheris saepe apiculatis filamento 
paulo longioribus; seminibus oblanceolatis.— J . xiphioides , 
Mey. 1. c. 
Var. /?. auratus: caulibus gracilibus elatis (3-pedalibus ul¬ 
tra) ; vaginis in folia latiora sensim excurrentibus; paniculae 
supradecompositae capitulis pauci-(5-10)floris stramineis ni- / 
tentibus; sepalis aequilongis capsula rostrata brevioribus; 
seminibus ut supra. 
Var. 7. montanus: caulibus humilioribus (spithameis ses- 
quipedalibus); foliis angustioribus basi plerumque auriculatis; 
capitulis pauci-(3-10)floris pallidioribus pluribus paniculatis 
