10 
ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE GENUS CAREX. 
ovalibus vel subglobosis ventricosis rostratis bifidis ener- 
viis vel obscure nervatis membranaceis glabris superne 
granulatis rarius ad margines liispidulis flavidis purpureo- 
tinctis stipitatis, squama ovata vel lanceolata acuta mutica 
vel cuspidata fusco-purpurea uervo pallido apice margi- 
nibusque albo-hyalina brevioribus vel earn subsequantibus. 
—C. Moorcroftii, Falconer, MSS.Boott, Lin. Trans. 
xx. 140. (Tab. XXYIL) 
Hab. In Tibetia alpina tota, alt. 14-17,000 ped., a 
Balti, Falconer, etc., ad Sikkim, J. I). Hooker. 
Dense csespitosa. Rhizoma praelongum, repens. Culmus 
9 poll, ad 2 ped. altus, gracilis, apice scabriusculus, basi folio- 
sus, vaginisque rubro-purpureis demum marcidis tectns; pars 
spicas gerens 15 lin. ad 21 poll, longa, vel rarius 10 poll. 
Folia 11-2 lin. lata, culmo breviora vel subsequantia, rigida, 
carinata, stricta, apice attenuata, glauca, demum flava, glaber- 
rima vel apice scabra. Bractea rarius spica sua longior, su- 
bulata. Spica mascula 6-10 lin. longa, 2 lin. lata, sessilis. 
Spicas fceminese 6-12 lin. longse, 21-4 lin. late, omnes con¬ 
gest*, sessiles, vel infima brevi-pedunculata, 7-13 lin. remota; 
rarius subradicalis, 15 lin. longa, basi ramulis subrotundis 
sessilibus 2 vel 3 composita, pedunculo 5 poll, longo instructa. 
Squamae conformes, ovatse vel lanceolate, fusco-purpurea:, 
demum apice marginibusque late albo-hyalime, vel omnino 
decolores: muticse, nervo infra apicem evanescente, vel extra 
producto. Perigynium plus minus stipitatum, 1 T V-2 T V lin. 
longum, tV- 1 lin. latum. Achenium lAr bn. longum, lin. 
latum, obovato-triquetrum, olivaceum, basi styli sequali api- 
culatum. 
AfSnis C. vernae, Schk., C. conglobates, Kit. Differt spicis 
congestis, ssepe apice masculis, bractea abbreviata, perigyniis bi¬ 
fidis, foliis glaucis.—An C. sabulosa, Turcz. ?, Kunth Cyp. 432. 
Ealconer, in his letter to Professor Royle, says this Gar ex is the 
“ Tibet grass” of Moorcroft, called by the natives of Tibet “ Long- 
ma ,” or as Lieut. Cunningham spells it “ Loong-mur.” Moorcroft 
in his Travels (vol. i. 293) says of it: “A very valuable herbage 
occurs in the Long-ma, or Sand-grass of Ladak, which, growing on 
loose sandy soil and forming an intricate network both on the 
surface and beneath it, protects the slender covering of the pri¬ 
mitive substratum from being blown away by the strong winds 
that sweep the valleys, and the whole country from being con¬ 
verted into a succession of bare rocks and mounds of sand. The 
Long-ma rarely reaches more than a height of ten or twelve inches, 
and frequently not more than five or six, a considerable portion of 
the blade being always buried in the sand. The length of the root 
is much more considerable, and strikes so deep that it cannot be 
extracted entire. At a depth of five feet it was found little di¬ 
minished in circumference, throwing off numerous lateral fibres 
through its whole course. The grass on the surface does not ex¬ 
tend uniformly, but affects the form of patches, by which it more 
effectively arrests the driving sand. Cattle will not eat it whilst 
it is green, or while other pasturage is procurable, but it is suffi¬ 
ciently hardy to outlive other herbage, and in November, when 
there is nothing else on the ground, it is eaten by horses and yaks. 
It is then of a yellow tint, but when the leaves and crown are 
eaten off, the brown stems are left almost level with the ground, 
their interstices filled with sand, and the appearance of each patch 
resembling that of an oakum door-mat. The plant emits a plea¬ 
sant smell, and has a sweet and agreeable taste, but the leaf is stiff 
and harsh with sharp edges. Although cattle do not fatten on it, 
it is said to be very invigorating, and perhaps the extremely rich 
quality of the milk of the yak in winter may be due to this grass. 
The stories related by the carriers, of its effect in restoring vigour 
to overworked horses, border on the marvellous. It furnishes 
almost the whole of the winter food of the unstabled brood mares 
and colts of the Raja of Ladak, of the kiang or wild horse, of the 
yak, and of all cattle which are left unhoused at that season.” 
Very fine specimens of this species were brought by Dr. Thom. 
son, one of the largest of which, with a compound radical spike, is 
ngured in Tab. XXVII. The nerves on the perigynium are repre¬ 
sented too strongly. The orifice varies, being occasionally shortly 
bifurcate with an obtuse sinus and sharp lacunae, and the scales 
are sometimes sharply cuspidate. 
26. C. leucantlia (Arnott); spica elongata demum pal- 
lide straminea, e spiculis 6—7 androgynis apice masculis 
ovatis densifloris subdecomposita, spiculis superioribus 
simplicibus contiguis sessilibus, inferioribus distantibus 
compositis ad apicem pedunculorum insidentibus, pedun- 
culis inserte vel exserte vaginatis longissime bracteatis; 
stigmatibus 3; perigyniis ellipticis triquetris basi acutis 
longiuscule rostratis, ore membranaceo bifido oblique 
secto, crebre leviter nervosis pubescentibus stramineis, 
squama ovato-lanceolata acuta bispido-cuspidata striato- 
nervosa scabra pallida concolori aequilata longioribus.— 
C. leucantlia, Arnott, MSS. in Herb.; Boolt, Lin. Trans. 
xx. 135. (Tab. XXYIII.) 
Hab. In montibus pemnsuke Indise orientalis ad 
Courtallum, Wight, et Ccylonke, Thwaites. Wallich ex 
Herb. Heyne (sine loco natali). 
Radix fibris lignosis valid is, longis. Culmus 2-3-ped., gra¬ 
cilis, rigidus, triqueter, scaber, basi foliatus, reliquiis foliorum 
fibratis tectus; pars spicas gerens 6-20 poll, longa. Folia 
I- 2 lin. lata, culmo breviora vel longiora, rigida, carinata, 
saepe marginibus revolutis. Bractece inferiores foliacese, lon- 
gissimse, vaginatse : infima ssepe culmo longior : supremse se- 
tacese, spicis suis ssepe breviores, evaginatse. Vagina infima 
6-14 lin. longa. Pedunculi inferiores paulo exserti, scabri. 
Spicules 3-8 lin. long®, 14—3 lin. late : superiores simplices, 
sessiles: reliquse compositse, plerumque 2 ad apicem pedun¬ 
culi, altera subremota, omnes sessiles. Interdum spiculse 
omnes simplices : vel media solum composita : infima simplex, 
basi attenuata. Squamae conformes, fceminese longius cuspi- 
datse. Perigynium 2- 1 - s , J —3 lin. longum, T S (T -1 lin. latum. Ache¬ 
nium lin. longum, -i- lin. latum, ellipticum, triquetrum, 
fuscum, punctulatum, apiculatum, basi styli incrassata decidua. 
27. C. spicigera (Nees); spica oblonga, e spicis parti- 
alibus 10-12 pluribusve decomposita, superioribus sub¬ 
rotundis sessilibus contiguis, inferioribus oblongis subre- 
motis exserte pedunculatis magis compositis basi ramo- 
sis, spiculis androgynis apice parce masculis parvis sub¬ 
rotundis coarctatis bracteolatis, bracteis foliaceis culmo 
multum longioribus; stigmatibus 3 ; perigyniis ovalibus 
triquetris erostratis emarginatis scabris nervosis ciliatis 
pallidis demum ferrugineis, squama ovata obtusa vel 
acuta liispido-aristata ferruginea duplo longioribus.—C. 
spicigera, Nees apud Wight, Contr.! 121; Kunth, Cyp. 
512. (Tab. XXIX.) 
Hab. In Zeylania, Walker, Macrae! Wight, n. 1299 ! 
Yar. minor, Gardner, n. 949 ! Herb. Hooker. 
Culmus 1-11-ped., rigidus, gracilis, glaber, basi vaginis foli¬ 
orum ferrugineis tectus, sursum foliis vaginantibus vestitus; 
pars spicas gerens 4-5 pollices longa. Folia 1-2 lin. lata, culmo 
multum longiora, rigida, carinata, marginibus revolutis, vagi¬ 
nis longis ferrugineis. Bractece foliacese, culmo multum lon- 
giores : inferiores 11 lin. latte, vaginate. Vagina infima 8-12 
lin. longa. Peduncidi 1-11 poll, longi: infimus exsertus, 
scabriusculus. Spica 5 poll, longa, 9 lin. lata. Spicas parti- 
ales inferiores 7-10 lin. longse, 21 lin. latte, basi ramulo brevi 
instructs : infima exserte pedunculata. Spicules 2-3 lin. longie, 
II- 2 lin. latse, apice flosculis masculis 2-3 vix discernendis: 
