ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX, 
113 
subinde abbreviate,; stigmatibus 3; perigyniis subor- 
biculatis vel obovatis abrupte rostellatis, vel ellipticis 
utrinque acutis trigonis, angulo introrso, ore emarginato, 
aurantiacis, rostro apice purpureo, granulato-asperulis 
superne margine serratis rarius scabris enerviis vel plus 
minus nervatis, squama late ovata obtusa vel acuminata 
atro-purpurea margine demum decolori longioribus.—C. 
alpina, Swartz; Wahl. Act. 160; FI. Lap. 241 ; Ander¬ 
son, 38. A 6./. 66; FI. Boss. 286. C. Vahlii, Schk. f. 
94 et 154; Willd. 254 ; Kunth, 431; Koch, 874; Drejer, 
Bev. 30; Lang, 87; j Reich. 16. t. 235 ; Ledeb. FI. Alt. 
217 ; Eng. Bot. t. 2666; Bertol. 72 ; Steudel, 202. C. 
media, Brown, Fr. Nar. App. 763. C. brachylepis, 
Turcz. (Tab. CCCLYI. et CCCLVII.) 
Hab. In Europa, Asia, America septentrionali. Ice¬ 
land. Lapland to Swiss Alps. Altai, Dahuria. In Hi¬ 
malaya temperate et alpina ad Kumaon, 10,000 ped., 
Bogle, n. 123 ; Strachey et Winterbottom; et ad Sikkim, 
10-12,000 ped., J. D. Hooker. Greenland, Arctic Ame¬ 
rica, Rocky Mountains. 
Culmus 2-24-pollicaris, rigidus, erectus, basi foliatus, apice 
ssepe scaber. Folia 1-11 lin. lata, culmo breviora. Bractea fo- 
liacea, plerumque spicam superans, altera ssepe brevis : infima 
nonnunquam sterilis, remota. Vagina rarius 2 lin. longa. 
Pedunculus 2-5 lin. longus. Spica congesta, e spiculis ssepius 
3 subsessilibus, 3-4 lin. longis, 2-3 lin. latis, vel 2-5 : infima 
subinde 10 lin. remota, plus minus pedunculata. Squamai 
conformes, obtusa; vel acuminata;, muticse, atro- vel rubro- 
purpureee, margine demum decolores. Perigyhium l-l-Y lin. 
longum, T 4 (i —fbr lin. latum, in eadem spicula forma varians. 
Achenium lin. longum, ~y o —y\ r lin. latum, ellipticum vel 
obovatum, triquetrum, pallidum, basi styli apiculatum. 
Wahlenberg, in the Act. Holm., speaks of this species as “ egre- 
gie varians but in the European forms it is I think easily distin¬ 
guishable from its allies. Lang says of the figures of Schkuhr, 
“si habitum spectas, minus accurate delineata,” an opinion in 
which I cannot concur. Wahlenberg, in his Flora Lap., says, “ cap- 
sulis subglobosis,” as in Schkuhr’s fig. 94, which has been most 
objected to, but which may often be observed with the elliptic 
form in the same spike. Wahlenberg also says, “ capsulis subpu- 
bescentibus.” I have never seen any to confirm this observation. 
In the Lapland, Scotch, and Norwegian plant, the perigynium is 
not only rough from the protuberant granulations, but the upper 
surface is occasionally rough, as the margins are, as shown in Tab. 
CCCLVII. In some Norwegian, but especially in the Arctic 
American plant, the nerves are distinct and the roughness disap¬ 
pears. In the Altai plant the perigynium is often subexcurved. 
In the specimens from the Himalaya there are forms like those 
of Europe, others which differ in the size of the spiculse, in the 
occasional cuspidation of the squamgs, and the curvature of the 
culm. Nees has separated this last under the name of O. infuscata, 
making no allusion to its affinity with G. alpina. But Drejer 
(Symb. p. 13), in contrasting it with the var. ft of Nees (C. Leh- 
manni, Drej.), says, “ G. infuscata multo propior est C. Vahlii, 
Schk.” With the exception of the above differences from the 
European type, I think it can be regarded only as an exceptional 
form of G. alpina, but, in deference to Nees, I have adopted his 
name, and I have done the same with the O. parvijlora of Meyer, 
which in the El. Rossica is the var. y of G. alpina. 
Tab. CCCLVI. Specimens figured, No. l,from the Clova Moun¬ 
tains, Scotland; No. 2, from Arctic America. 
Tab. CCCLVII. Specimens: No. 1, from Norway; No. 2, from 
the Altai; No. 3, from Dahuria. The details from the Norwegian 
and Altai specimens. 
Yar. /3. infuscata; spiculis majoribus 4-5 lin. longis 
lin. latis; perigyniis tqy lin. longis, y, lin. latis, ellip¬ 
ticis vel obovatis, obtuse subturgide trigonis, nervatis, 
nervis superne evanidis, squama oblongo-ovata acuminata 
vel cuspidata atro-purpurea brevioribus vel longioribus; 
culmo ssepe curvato, vaginis foliorum punctis ferrugi- 
neis maculatis ; achenio -yy lin. longo, -yd lin. lato, ovali 
vel obovato.—C. infuscata, Nees; Wight Contr. 125; 
Kunth, 431; Drejer, Symb. 13 (sub C. Lehmanni); Steu¬ 
del, 202. (Tab. CCCLVIII. et CCCLIX.) 
Hab. In Himalaya temperate et alpina. Kunawur, 
Boyle, n. 123; Jacquemont. Kisbtwar, 10-14,000 ped., 
Dr. Thomson. Sikkim, Dr. Hooker. Tibetia Occident., 
ad Iiasora, Winterbottom. 
Nees alludes to the truncate orifice of the perigynium, which is 
occasionally observable, but the usual form of it is (as in C. alpina) 
a more or less distinct emargination. Drejer says, “perigyniis 
lenticulari-convexis,” but this can only apply to the more turgid 
forms, in which the achenium fails to impress its internal angle on 
the perigynium. 
Tab. CCCLVIII. The specimens figured are, No. 1, Royle, n. 
123, Pungee ; No. 2, from Dr. Thomson, 14/6/1848; No. 3, from 
Strachey and Winterbottom, Garais Valley ; No. 4, from Jacque¬ 
mont, Chini, Kunawur, n. 1560, Herb. Mus. Paris. 
Tab. CCCLIX. No. 1, Strachey and Winterbottom ; No. 2, Dr. 
Hooker, Sikkim. 
The spiculse oblong, more laxly alternate, and narrower. 
Var. y. parviflora; spiculis 4-5 lin. longis, 3 lin. latis, 
confertis, infima subinde composite; perigyniis majori¬ 
bus, L/fi-T-Q lin. longis, -yy-yo lin. latis, ellipticis, bifidis, 
enerviis, fusco-purpureis, basi pallidis, squama ovata fusco- 
purpurea nervo concolori rarius extra apicem producto 
longioribus; culmo rigido, stricto; foliis 1-2 lin. latis, 
bractea reflexa, ligula amplectente oblonga; achenio -yy 
lin. longo, -yy lin. lato, elliptico vel obovato; stylo subinde 
contorto.—-C. melanocephala, Turcz. MSS. C. parviflora, 
Meyer; Kunth, 436. C. alpina, y, FI. Bossica, iv. 286. 
C. Yahlii, var., Steudel, 202. (Tab. OCCLX.) 
Hab. In Alpe Urgudei. Dahuria, Turcz. In humi- 
dis ad nives deliquescentes Alpium, Alatau ad fl. Lepsa, 
Karelin et Kirilov.), n. 2080 (Herb. Llooker). 
In the ‘ Flora Rossica’ this is considered the same as the G. 
alpina, ft nigrescens, Anderson, Cyp. Scand., but it is much larger 
than any of the northern European forms I have seen. The spe¬ 
cimens figured are: No. 1, those of Turcz., sent to me by M. 
Fischer; and No. 2, from Dahuria, Herb. Mus. Paris. 
270. C. Lehmanni (Drejer); spicis 3-5 parvis ova- 
libus vel oblongis e flavide-atro-purpureis subsessilibus 
congestis vel contiguis, terminali basi mascula ssepe ma- 
jore, reliquis foemineis, infima plus minus pedunculata re¬ 
mota, tarnen superiores attingente nisi rarius radicali 
longissime exserte pedunculata, basi composite; bracteis 
evaginatis, infima culmum ssepe longe superante; stig¬ 
matibus 3, brevibus; perigyniis obovatis obtuse trigonis 
abrupte rostellatis, ore subintegro vel emarginato, glabris 
obsolete nervatis flavidis, rostello purpureo, squama ovata 
acuta vel cuspidata atro-purpurea concolori longioribus. 
—C. Lehmanni, Drejer, Symb. 13. t. 2. C. infuscata, 
ft, microcarpa, Nees, 125 ; Kunth, 431. (Tab. CCCLXI.) 
LIab. In Himalaya tropica et alpina. Nipal, Wallich, 
n. 3381. Kumaon, Strachey et Winterbottom, 14-15,000 
ped. Sikkim, Dr. Llooker, 12,000 ped. 
2 h 
