14 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX, 
hills of the Missouri, Nuttall. Carlton House, Sir John 
Richardson. Rocky Mountains, Drummond. 
Csespitosa. Culmus 6-lQ-pollicaris, filiformis, Levis, basi 
foliatus, vaginisque elongatis ferrugineis tectus. Folia invo- 
luta, filiformia, rigida, culmo breviora vel gequantia. Spica 
6-10 lin. longa, apice (plus minus mascula) lineam, basi 3 lin. 
lata. Squamae ferrugineae, demum castanese, nervo infra api- 
cem evanescente: masculse angustiores, obtusae: foemineae nisi 
infima obtusissimae, plus latse quam longae, omnes marginibus 
late albo-byalinae. Perigynium 1-A- lin. longum, y,,—y r lin. 
latum, acbenium laxe vestiens, enerve vel basi obscure ner- 
vatum. Achenium lyy lin. longum, yy lin. latum, triquetro- 
obovatum, olivaceum, punctulatum, basi styli crassiori apicu- 
latum ; racheola ligulata serrata, apice albo-ferruginea, mem- 
branace&, subaequilonga praeditum. 
I have the authority of Mr. Nuttall as to the identity of the 
Carlton House and Rocky Mountains specimens with his own. I 
quote the Kobresia of Dewey—the description of which I have not 
seen—on the authority of Dr. Torrey, though in the last notice of 
the species Dewey makes no reference to that plant, nor to his 
previous mistake in considering Richardson’s plant to be C. ursina. 
The larger specimen figured is from Carlton House, the smaller 
one from the Rocky Mountains. 
36. C. comosa (Boott); spicis 4-0 cylindrical densi- 
floris peclunculatis, terrainali mascula elongata bracteata 
ferruginea, reliquis foemineis crassis olivaceis squarrosis 
demum nutantibus vel pendulis, superioribus vel omni¬ 
bus evaginatis approximate vel infima remota interdum 
longe pedunculata plus minus vaginata; bracteis inferio- 
ribus culmo multum longioribus; stigmatibus 3; peri- 
gyniis ovatis vel ovalibus triquetris subturgidis stipitatis 
longe rostratis alte bicuspidatis (laciniis subulatis Isevibus 
patentissimis recurvatis) glaberrimis nervosis demum di- 
vergentibus retroflexisque, squama lanceolata vel oblonga 
serrata pallida longe liispido-aristata latioribus longiori- 
busque vel infimis (arista) brevioribus.—C. comosa, Boott, 
Lin. Trs. xx. 117! Carey, l. c. 530 ; Sartivell, Exs. n. 134 ! 
C. furcata, Elliott, ii. 552 {non Lapeyr.). C. Pseudo- 
cyperus, Tor.! Dewey! {exparte). (Tab. XXXYIII.) 
Hab. In America septentrionali. New England to 
Georgia. 
Culmus 2^-pedalis, acute triqueter, validus, scalier; pars 
spicas gerens 3-6, etiam 10 poll, longa. Folia 3-5 lin. lata, 
culmo longiora, nodosa. Bractea infima latior, longissima, 
interdum vaginata : all re sursum decrescentes, evaginatae: 
summa saepe setacea. Vagina 1-16 lin. longa. Pedunculi 2 
lin. ad If poll, longi, vel inferiores rarius 4-10 poll. Spica 
mascula 1-3 poll, longa, 3 lin. lata, ferruginea, pedunculata: 
squamae lineari-lanceolatae, liispido-aristata;, scabriusculse, laxe 
imbricatae. Spicae foemineae 1|-2| poll, longae, 6-7 lin. latte, e 
rostro laciniisque elongatis divaricatis quasi comosa;. Squamae 
ianceo] ata; vel oblongge, medio pallide virides, lateribus ferru¬ 
gineis, ciliato-serratse, longe liispido-aristata;. Perigynium 
3-3| lin. longum, T \ r lin. latum, alte bicuspidatum, laciniis 
fere lineam longis, divaricatis, saepe recurvatis; glaberrimum, 
nervosum, demum retroflexum. Achenium yy lin. longum, yy 
lin. latum, ovale, triquetrum, castaneum, basi styli conica 
apiculatum. 
Habitus C. Pseudocyperi, L. Differt spicis foemineis cras- 
sioribus, comosis; perigyniis altius bicuspidatis, laciniis paten- 
tissimis, laevibus, recurvatis. 
Mr. Elliott first distinguished this fine species, but gave it a 
name that had been adopted by Lapeyrouse. It was subsequently 
confounded with C. Bseudocyperus, with which it seems to be com¬ 
mon in the States, as far north as New England. I have never 
seen any specimens from the British Provinces. 
37. C. utriculata (Boott); spicis 6—7 rarius 5—8 cy- 
lindricis elongatis, masculis 3-4 gracilibus, inferioribus 
ssepe bracteatis, foemineis 3-4 crassis remotis sessilibus 
vel infima basi attenuato-laxiflora pedunculata rarius vagi¬ 
nata, superioribus interdum apice masculis; bracteis culmo 
multum longioribus; stigmatibus 3 ; perigyniis oblongo- 
ellipticis sensim in rostrum cylindricum acuminatis bifur- 
catis glabris infiatis nervatis stramineis, squama lanceo¬ 
lata acuminata hispido-cuspidata purpurea medio pallida 
latioribus longioribusque.—C. utriculata, Boott, Hook. FI. 
Bor. Am. ii. 221; Journ. Dot. 1. c. {excl. C. bullata ? /3, 
Fries). C. ampullacea /3, Carey, l. c. 534. (Tab. 
XXXIX.) 
Var. /3, minor, Sartivell, Exs. n. 153. 
Hab. In America septentrionali. Cumberland House, 
etc., Richardson. New England to Ohio. 
Culmus 2-3-pedalis, triqueter, validus, glaber, inter spicas 
scaber, basi spongiosus, crassus; pars spicas gerens 9-12 poll, 
longa. Folia 4^ lin. lata, culmo longiora, rigida, nodosa, 
glauca, basi culmum amplectentia. Bradeae latse, culmum 
longe superantes : infima interdum vaginata; auricula obtusa, 
purpurea, amplectens. Vagina 2-12 lin. longa. Pedunculus 
8-12 lin. longus, glaber. Spicae masculae saepius 3-4, rarius 
2-5, graciles, 1-44 poll, longae, lineam latse vel ssepe angus¬ 
tiores, omnes vel medise sessiles, inferiores ssepe bracteatse, 
interdum apice foe mines;: squamse lanceolatse, acutse, pur- 
purese, medio pallidse, margine albo-byalinse : demum omnino 
decolores. Spicae fcemineae ssepius 3 vel 2, rarius 4-5, a se 
H-3| poll, remotse, 24-4 poll, longse, 7-8 lin. latse : superiores 
sessiles, densiflorse : infima basi attenuato-laxiflora, plus minus 
longe pedunculata; in uno specimine spicula semipollicari re¬ 
mota, basi composita. Squamae lanceolatse, acutissimse, liis- 
pido-cuspidatse, purpureae, medio pallidae. Perigynium 4|. lin. 
longum, 1 \ lin. latum. Achenium lineam longum, triquetro- 
obovatum, basi styli sequali apiculatum, punctulatum. 
Var. (3 ; omnibus partibus minoribus. 
In speciminibus bene expositis satis a C. vesicaria et C. 
ampullacea distinguenda. Inter eas intermedia. In rnajo- 
ribus proprius ad C. vesicariam, in minoribus ad C. ampulla- 
ceam accedens. Ab utrinque squamis foemineis hispido-cuspi- 
datis recedit. A C. vesicaria, cni forma fructus accedit, differt 
omnibus partibus majoribus; foliis latioribus, glaucis, insig- 
niter venoso-reticulatis, bracteis multum longioribus; spicis 
pluribus, foemineis rarius 2, saepius 3, inferioribus basi magis 
attenuato-laxifloris; perigyniis rostro cylindrico longiori. A. 
C. ampullacea pluribus cbaracteribus supra notatis absimilis 
praecipue perigyniis oblongo-ellipticis. 
In the ‘English Flora,’ Sir James Smith remarks that “the 
fruit of C. ampullacea resembles a bottle or flask, ampulla; that 
of C. vesicaria a bladder, vesica; so that they ought never to have 
been confounded in character or name, to say nothing of the to¬ 
tally different shapes of their spikes when ripe.” Among Euro¬ 
pean botanists there is no difference of opinion on the subject of 
these two species. Future observation imrst determine in Ame¬ 
rica the value to be affixed to the species of this group. 
In 50 specimens of C. utriculata, I find— 
5 with 5 spikes. 1 with 2 male. 
24 „ 6 27 „ 3 
18 „ 7 20 „ 4 
3 „ 8 2 „ 5 
In 135 specimens of C. vesicaria, I find— 
6 with .3 spikes. 6 with 1 male. 
11 with 2 female. 
33 „ 3 
5 „ 4 
1 „ 5 
56 
4 
9 with 1 female. 
110 „ 2 
