114 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX. 
Culmus |-2-pedabs, triqueter, apice scaber, gracilis, basi 
fobatus; pars spicas gerens plernmque |-3 poll, longa. Folia 
1-3 lin. lata, elongata, culmum aequantia vel eo breviora, plana, 
graminea. Bracteee evaginatse: infima angusta vel 1) lin. 
lata, 1^-5^ poll, longa, altera spicam superans vel sequans. 
Pedunculus infimus plerumqne 2 lin. ad 2 poll, longus : vel 
radicalis pedalis, bractea aequilonga suffulta. Spicee omnes 
congestse, parvae, subaequales, snbsessiles: vel oblongae, 3-6 
lin. longae, 2 lin. latae, contiguae: infima plus minus remota, 
tamen semper alias attingens, nisi rarius radicalis, remota, 
basique subinde spiculis 2 brevibus basi composita. Squamae 
conformes. Perigynium 1-1 T '„ lin. longum, yV~TV lin. latum, 
pallide flavescens, apice purpureo tinctum. Achenium con- 
forme, f s 0 lin. longum, -fc lin. latum, obovatum, obtuse trique¬ 
trum, olivaceum. 
Allied to 0. alpina, but evidently distinct in inflorescence and 
form of perigynium. Drejer considered it to be allied to G. Shor- 
tiana from the form of the perigynium. “ Mihi videtur,” he says, 
“ quasi immediate a C. Shortiana ad melancmthas ducere, intimam- 
que aflinitatem clarius ostendere.” 
271. C. atrata (Linn.); spicis 8-5 rarissime 6 ovali- 
bus vel oblongo-cylindraceis rubro- vel demum atro-pur- 
pureis contiguis; superioribus sessilibus vel omnibus 
(deorsum longius) pedunculatis terminali basi mascula; 
reliquis foemineis rarius omnibus vel una alterave ima 
basi parce masculis erectis vel cernuis; bractea evagi- 
ginata, auriculata, culmo paulo longiore vel gequante, su¬ 
perioribus squamaeformibus, infima rarius remota sterili 
vaginata ; stigmatibus 3 ; perigyniis late vel subrotundo- 
ovalibus compresso-ventricosis abrupte vel sensim rostel- 
latis, ore emarginato vel bidentato, flavidis ferrugineo 
tinctis glabris tenuiter granulatis enerviis sessilibus, 
squama ovata obtusa vel acuta sequilata vel ad apicem 
spicarum lanceolata acuminata angustiore rubro-ferru- 
ginea vel atro-purpurea brevioribus vel longioribus.—C. 
atrata, Lin. ; Good. Lin. Trs. ii. 189; Willd. 221; 
Sc/d. x./. 77; Wahl. Act. 106; FI. Lap. 242; Gaud. 
Agrost. 114; Kunth, 433 ; Koch, 875 ; Fries, Mant. iii. 
137 ; Anderson, 37. t. 6./. 67 ; Drejer, Lev. 31 ; Lang. 
89; Led. FI. Alt. 214; FI. Bossica, 287; Belch. 16. 
t. 237 ; Dertol. 74 ; Light, 555 ; Smith, Eng. FI. 103 ; 
Fng. Dot. t. 2044 ; Schw. et Tor. 320 ; Torrey, Gyp. 406 ; 
Carey, 520 ; Deioey, x. 271 ; Sartioell, Exs. n. 63. C. 
aterrima, Hoppe, Icon.; Koch, 874 ; Beich. t. 236 ; Kunth , 
434. C. atrata, /3, Gaud. Agrost. 115 ; FI. Bossica, 287. 
C. nigra, All. Bed. 267 ; Dellard. App. 44 ; Willd. 266; 
Schk. f. 115; Kunth, 435; Koch, 874; Beich. 16. t. 
236 ; Dertol. 78. C. atrata, y, Gaud. C. saxatilis, Scop. 
Cam. 221. C. mthostachya, Schk. f. 196. C. dista- 
chya, W. Schk. f. 33. C. ovata, Budge, Lin. Trs. vii. 
96. t. 9./. 1. C. Caucasica, Stev. Diehst. iii. 613. Kunth, 
433. C. atrata, FI. Bossica, 287. (Tab. CCCLXIL- 
CCCLXV.) 
LIab. In Europa. Icelandia usque ad Alp. Germa¬ 
nise et Helvetise. In Asia, Caucasus, Altai, Himalaya 
orient, temp, et alpina, Sikkim, alt. 12-17,000 ped. In 
America, Groenlandia, Am. Arctica, Mont. Alb. et Sax. 
Radix fibrosa. Culmus 4~2-|-pedalis, triqueter, lands vel 
apice scabriusculus. Folia 14-4 lin. lata, culmo breviora. 
Bractea infima rarius infra spicas sita, sterilis, remota, vagi¬ 
nata, plerumque auriculata: auriculis saepe concretis. Spices 
6-12 lin. longse, 2-3 lin. latae, erectse vel cernuse, ovales, la- 
tiores; vel cylindracese, angustiores, deorsum longius pedun- 
culatse. Perigynium 1 t V2tV bn- longum, t 7 (1 ~1tV lin. latum, 
viride, demum fulvum vel ferrugineum vel (in C. aterrima ) atro- 
purpureum ; rostello cylindrico purpureo. Achenium lyq 
lin. longum, bn. latum, imequaliter triquetrum, ellipti- 
cum. Stamina 3 vel 2. Flosculi rarius hermaphroditici ! 
C. atrata, L., variat culmo plus minus alto, kevi vel scaber- 
rimo; longitudine et latitudine foborum; spicis ovalibus vel 
obovatis vel cylindricis, plus minus latis, omnibus rarius, vel 
una alterave, basi masculis: erectis vel cernuis, inferioribus 
nunc basi compositis, infima subinde subradicab longe exserte 
pedunculata; squamis rubris vel atro-purpureis, concoloribus 
vel margine albidis, latioribus obtusis perigynio brevioribus, 
vel angustioribus acuminatis acutis eo longioribus; perigyniis 
latioribus ovalibus vel obovatis, vel angustioribus ellipticis, 
plus minus ventricosis abrupte cylindrico- vel sensim rostellatis 
vel erostribus, ore emarginato vel bidentato rarius integro; 
flavidis demum fulvis plus minus purpureo tinctis vel atro- 
purpureis, plus minus grosse granulatis vel ad margines raro 
dentatis, enerviis vel obsolete tenuiter nervatis. 
I have taken the description of this species from European spe¬ 
cimens, noticing above the variations it undergoes in other coun¬ 
tries. It is not possible to describe its varieties without attri¬ 
buting to one characters that are more or less to be found in the 
others. 
The following may give a general idea of them :— 
C. atrata, L.; spiculis ovalibus; perigyniis fulvis enerviis, 
squamis superioribus saepe lanceolatis acutis. 
Var. aterrima (C. aterrima, Hoppe, etc.); spiculis oblongis 
perigyniisque atro-purpureis fobis latioribus. 
Var. ovata (C. ovata, Rudge, etc.); spiculis ovalibus rubro- 
ferrugineis. (Tab. CCCLXII.) 
Var. nigra (C. nigra, All,, etc.) ; spiculis ovalibus plerumque 
sessilibus congestis, terminali subinde mascula; stigmatibus 
3 et 2; perigyniis atro-purpureis, marginibus pallidis saepe 
dentatis, squamis obtusis. (Tab. CCCLXIII.) 
Var. Caucasica ( C. Caucasica, Stev.) ; spiculis cybndraceis 
vel clavatis ; perigyniis tenuiter nervatis, squamis abrupte acu¬ 
minatis ; foliis elongatis. 
Var. pullata ; spiculis cybndraceis; perigyniis oblongis, ore 
saepe integro, nervatis minime ventricosis, squamis lanceolatis 
acuminatis acutis. (Tab. CCCLXIV.) 
Var. glacialis; spiculis ovalibus; perigyniis achenium arete 
vestientibus, ore subinde subbifido, squamis lanceolatis acumi¬ 
natis acutis. (Tab. CCCLXV.) 
C. aterrima, Hoppe, as Kunth and especially Ledebour remark, 
is not distinguishable from C. atrata, L., the dark purple colour of 
the perigynia and breadth of the leaf affording no constant charac¬ 
ter. In O. atrata the colour of the perigynium is fulvous, more 
or less spotted or tinged, sometimes entirely with a ferruginous 
hue. Ledebour says, “ perigynia (fructu maturascente) sensim 
sensimque nigrescunt et demum ssepissime atro-purpurea eva- 
dunt.” 
Beyond the rufous colour of the spikes in C. ovata, I know no¬ 
thing that is observable distinguishing it from the usual character 
of O. atrata, and this colour, as well as the occasional narrow cylin- 
dric spikes, are found in European specimens, and in those from 
the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 
The variety nigra ( C. nigra, All.) appears to be confined to the 
Alps of Germany and Switzerland. It is, from its alpine habitat, 
more contracted in all its parts, the terminal spike occasionally 
male, and the stigmas at times only 2, with a corresponding lenti¬ 
cular achenium. The perigynium varies in width, and conse¬ 
quently is more or less ventricose; the upper margins at first 
pale and often dentate, but the colour eventually is more or less 
dark purple, as in C. aterrima, except at base. In C. atrata and 
i 
