ILLUSTRATIONS OP THE GENUS CAREX. 
21 
Folia 2-4 lin. long a, culmo longiora. Bract eat setacese, 
breves, ssepe obsoletse. Spica 3-6^ poll, longa, apice 3-4 lin., 
basi 6-12 lin. lata: inferne interrnpte ramosa: rami 
poll, longi, cylindrici, omnino spiculiferi, erecti. Spiculce 2-3 
lin. longse, 2 lin. latae, arete contiguse, sessiles. Perigynium 
1-lyV lin. longum, Lo~Lo lin. latum. Achenium p u - lin. Ion- 
gum, | lin. latum, obovatum, basi productum, ferrugineum. 
The form of the perigynium sufficiently distinguishes this spe¬ 
cies from the C. pcmiculata of Europe. I have seen no specimens 
north of New York. 
54. C. Torreyi (Tuckerman); spicis 3-4 abbreviate 
oblongis castaneis demum ferrugineis, terminali mascula 
sessili, reliquis foemineis evaginatis sessilibus contiguis 
vel infima subremota breve pedunculata; bracteis culmo 
brevioribus; stigmatibus 8; perigyniis obovatis obtuse 
triquetris abrupte cylindrico-rostellatis, ore albo-hyalino 
integro, valide uervatis punctatis, squama ovata acuta vel 
obtusa cuspidata pallicle ferruginea margine albo-hyalina 
apice ciliata subsequilata longioribus ; culmo foliisque hir- 
sutis.—C. Torreyi, Tuck. En. Method. 21 (1843); Carey, 
521. C. abbreviata, Sclmeinitz, n. 55 {Herb. Kunze!)-, 
Boott, Lin. Trans, xx. 141 (1846). (Tab. LYI. Tig. 1.) 
Hab. In America Boreali. Betblebem, Pennsylvania, 
Sc/m. {Herb. Kunze). New York, Torrey {Herb. Hooker 
and Durand ). Carlton House, /Richardson (1827). 
Culmus 1-11-ped., acute triqueter, apice scaber, kirsutus, 
rigidus, basi foliatus, rudimentisque foliorum purpureis tectus; 
pars spicas gerens 1-2 poll, longa. Folia 1-1 \ lin. lata, culmo 
brevier a, firma, hirsuta ; radicalia elongata. Bractece breves : 
infima rarius culmo paulo longior : evaginatm. Pedunculus in- 
fimus nunc 1-4 lin. longus. Spica mascula 3-8 lin. longa, 
1- 11 lin. lata, subsessilis. Spicce fmmmeco 3-6 lin. longse, 
2- 2^ lin. latse: omnes masculse contiguse, sessiles, vel infima 
longior |-1 poll, remota. Squamae apice ciliatse: masculse 
lanceolatse, acutse, ssepe cuspidatse, nervo apice scabro, stra- 
minese, margine albo-byalinse: foeminese latiores, obtusse, vel 
brevi-acuminatse, cuspidatse. Perigynium 1-^-1 T U lin. longum, 
i-J lin. latum (sub lente), lucide, demum ferrugineo-punc- 
tatum ; ore ciliato. Achenium l-\ lin. longum, x s n lin. latum, 
obovatum, trigonum, basi styli apiculatum. Stylus supra basin 
brevis, crassus. 
I first recognized this species in March 1843, in Herb. Fielding 
{olim Prescott), where I found it without a habitat, under the 
name of G. abbreviata, supposing it had been so named by Prescott, 
and that it was probably a plant from the Altai. In copying out 
the descriptions for the Paper in the Linnsean Transactions in 
1846, I was wholly unconscious that I had the plant in my own 
herbarium, or that Tuckerman, who had discovered it in the her¬ 
barium of Sir W. J. Hooker, had described it as early as 1843 in 
his ‘Enumeratio Methodica.’ In my own and Sir William’s her¬ 
barium it had been left unnoticed, through my carelessness, among 
many loose specimens of O. pallescens from Arctic America; but 
Sir William had also received it from New York from Dr. Torrey 
as G. pallescens, and Tuckerman consequently gave it that locality, 
as well as Carlton House. There was no question as to the cor¬ 
rectness of the last habitat from the specimens brought in 1827 
by Sir John Richardson; but doubts were entertained of the 
former, as Dr. Torrey had no specimen in his herbarium, and was 
unconscious of having seen the plant. None of the American bo¬ 
tanists had met with it. Mr. Curtis however, in 1848, informed 
Dr. Gray in a letter, that, in looking over the Cyperacece of Mr. 
Durand of Philadelphia, he had found G. Torreyi, sent to Mr. D. 
by Dr. Torrey as G. pallescens. But the most curious part of its 
history is that, in 1849, Tuckerman found it in the herbarium of 
Prof. Kunze, at Leipsic, sent by Schweinitz from Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania, as “ G. abbreviata, Schweinitz, n. 55.” That this 
was the source whence Prescott received his specimen, the name 
it bore would render all but certain. It is remarkable that 
Schweinitz had preserved no specimen in his own herbarium and 
no indication in his MSS. of the name he had originally given to 
it. I am not aware that any one has found it in the States since 
Schweinitz. 
Tuckerman places G. Torreyi among his Montance, but doubting 
whether it may not belong to the Laxiflorce of Kunth, in which he 
includes G. pallescens. They both belong to the same group, and 
though very distinct from each other, are yet closely allied. They 
have the same inflorescence, scales, bracts, ferruginous spots on 
the perigynium, achenium, and both are hirsute. The perigynium 
of G. pallescens is inflated, and less perceptibly triquetrous, but 
has at times a distinct though very short, abrupt rostrum, with an 
entire orifice. I think Carey is correct in placing it among the 
Panicece, next to G. pallescens. 
55. C. alveata (Boott); spicis 2-5, terminali mascula 
cylindrica sessili, altera minori rarius ad ejus basin arete 
contigua, reliquis 1-3 foemineis, superioribus (rarius om¬ 
nibus) apice masculis oblongis masculse arete contiguis 
sessilibus, inferioribus vaginatis, infima basi attenuata 
remota exserte pedunculata; bracteis culmum subsequan- 
tibus; stigmatibus 3; perigyniis (immaturis) ovalibus 
obtusis vel rostellatis olivaceis, ore integro, crebre costato- 
nervosis granulatis, squama lata ovato-lanceolata acumi¬ 
nata cuspidata castanea medio 3-4-nervata pallida an- 
gustioribus brevioribusque.—C. alveata, Boott, Journ, 
Nat. Hist. Boston, v. (1845). (Tab. LVI. Tig. 2.) 
TIab. Texas, Drummond, coll. 3. n. 440, 441. Loui¬ 
siana, Arkansas, Leavemoorth fHerb. CareyJ. 
Radix repens, stolonifera. Culmus subpedalis, firmus, apice 
acutangulus, scaber, granulatus, basi foliatus; pars spicas ge¬ 
rens 3-5 poll, longa. Folia 1-11 lin. lata, culmum subsequantia 
vel eo breviora, plana, marginibus revolutis, rigida. Bractece 
inferiores vaginatse, culmum subsequantes: superiores squa- 
rmeformes, cuspidatse. Vagina infima 4-7 lin. longa. Pedun¬ 
culus infimus 1-1| poll, longus, scaber. Spica mascula polli- 
caris, 2 lin. lata, ssepius sessilis; altera minor, rarius arete 
contigua. Spicce foeminece superiores (rarius omnes) apice 
masculse, 6-12 lin. longse, 1-2 lin. latse, erectse : inferiores a se 
2-3 poll, remotse, exserte pedunculatse. Squamce omnes me¬ 
dio granulatse: masculse ferruginese, margine byalino-albidse, 
obtusse, muticse, vel inferiores lanceolatse, acutse, nervo viridi 
infra apicem evanescente vel in superioribus extra producto : 
infima cuspidata: foeminese latse, ovato-lanceolatse, castanese, 
basi medioque 3-4-nervatse, pallidse: inferiores vel omnes acu- 
minatse, longe cuspidatse, vel superiores breviores, ovatse, nervo 
vix vel paulo extra apicem producto. Perigynium 1-^ lin, 
longum, costato-nervosum; nervis albidis, ore pallidiore. Ache¬ 
nium 1lin. longum, lin. latum, oblongo-triquetrum, basi 
styli sequali. 
Drummond’s specimens are not fully mature, and those in the 
herbarium of Mr. Carey are too young to afford a satisfactory cha¬ 
racter. All parts of the plant are granulated. I cannot refer it 
to any known American species. C. microdonta, Torrey says, has 
a bidentate orifice to the perigynium; but from specimens gathered 
by Wright in Texas, apparently referable to it, in Herb. Carey, it 
is slightly bifurcate. From G. Crawei it is distinguished by the 
prominent nerves on the perigynium and female scales, and these 
last being broader, larger, and longer cuspidate. 
56. C.polymorpha (Muhlenberg) (C.Halseyana ,Dewey)-, 
spicis 3 rarius 2-4 ferrugineo-purpureis erectis, termi- 
nalibus masculis ssepe 2 vel 1 rarius 3, inferioribus ob¬ 
longis contiguis sessilibus, foemineis 1 rarius 2 interdum 
(vel suprema solum) apice masculis, brevi vel infima sub¬ 
remota plus minus longe exserte pedunculata, cylindricis 
G 
