TRIANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. Carex. 
135 
leaves to the fertile spikes leaf-like, sessile, dilated at the base when 
young-, but the expanded part soon vanishes. Capsules compressed, 
eg-g-shaped, acute, smooth, entire at the end, disposed in eight rows. 
Summits two, rather thick, hairy. Has often been supposed the same 
asC. ccespitosa, from circumstances common to both; but in C. stricta the 
root-leaves which sheath the bottom of the straw have this sheathing 
part split into threads like open net-work: they too, as well as the 
floral-leaves, are shorter than the straw at the time of flowering. The 
floral-leaves, particularly the lower ones, have either no expanded ap¬ 
pendages at the base, or only oblong ones, which are presently so elon¬ 
gated as to disappear, that is, to lose all their expanded form. The 
fertile spikes are acute, owing to their being terminated by barren 
florets; the scales are all acute, the capsules are set in eight rows, and 
the barren spikes are mostly two; on the contrary, C. ccespitosa wants 
the fibrous texture in the sheathing part of the root-leaves; these 
leaves equal the height of the straw at the time of flowering, and the 
floral-leaves are taller. The floral-leaves have always round expansions 
on each side their base, which do not change their shape; the fertile 
spikes are blunt, and have no barren florets at the end. The capsules 
are set in six, rarely in eight rows, and there is seldom more than one 
barren spike. In its general appearance also it is a much smaller, 
weaker, and softer plant. Gooden. 
(Glaucous Strait-leaved Carex. C. ccespitosa [3. Lightf. Welsh : 
Hesgen olulas syth-ddaile. E.) Found by Mr. Pitchford in marshes near 
Norwich. Hall Wood, near Newmarket. Relhan. (Pilmoor Pool, 
Weston, Staffordshire, where it forms large firm tufts. Rev. S. Dicken¬ 
son. In the marsh behind St. Anthony’s Ballast Hill; and in Heaton 
Wood, Northumberland. Winch Guide. In Llanfihangel, Anglesey. 
Welsh Bot. Banks of the Water of Leith. Grev. Edin. E.) P. April. 
(5) Spikes , some barren , others fertile: barren spikes two or more. 
[C. filiformis, stricta, recurva, and some others, which have, though 
rarely, two barren spikes.] 
48. C. ripa'ria. Spikes oblong, barren, acute; scales of the barren 
spear-shaped, of the fertile tapering to an awn-like point: cap¬ 
sules egg-spear-shaped, cloven into two teeth at the end. 
Curt. 281— (E. Bot. 579—FI. Dan. 1118. E .)—H. Ox. viii. 12. 1— Leers 
16. 2—Mich. 32. 6 and 7. 
Root thick, creeping very much. Straw two feet high or more, upright, 
firm, three-square, angles very acute and rough. Leaves broad, upright, 
glaucous, pale on the upper side, blackish green underneath, very rough 
on the edges and the keel. Barren spikes three, terminal, pointed, ob¬ 
long, but three-sided, crowded together. Fertile spikes three, oblong, 
mostly pointed with barren florets, upright, iower ones on fruit-stalks. 
Scales black, longer than the capsules. Floral leaves the lower ones in 
some degree sheathing the fruit-stalks, upper ones expanded at the base. 
Capsules tiled in eight rows, oblong-egg-shaped, taper-pointed, marked 
with fibres, forked at the end. Summits three. The black, triangular, 
acute, barren spike and the cloven pointed capsules, preclude the possi¬ 
bility of mistaking this species. Gooden. (The serrated awns of the 
calyx mentioned by Curtis are not constant; nor is the keel of the leaves 
rough, except towards the point. The sides of the straw are rather flat 
than concave. E.) 
