38 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX. 
lin. latum, triquetro-obovatum, basi styli obliqua abrupte api- 
culatum. 
Yar. e. blanda. — b. minor; culmo 6-12-poIlicari; fo- 
liis 1-3 lin. latis; bracteis foliaceis, infima fere semper 
culmo multum breviori; spicis 4-5 rarins 3-6 densiflo- 
ris, superioribus masculse plerumque contiguis, infima 
plus minus remota ssepe basi laxiflora, mascula ssepe ab- 
breviata bractcata: squamis masculis latioribus obtusis 
muticis vel breve cuspidatis.—C. conoidea, Muhl. 248 
{non Schk.); Sdno. et Tor. 346. C. blanda, j Dewey, Sill. 
x. 45; Sartwell, Exs. n. 96. C. anceps, var. striatula, 
Carey, l. c. (Tab. XCII. Fig. 2.) 
Hab. Canada to Kentucky. 
Yar. e. blanda. — c. gracillima; culmo gracili sesquipe- 
dali ■ foliis lineatn latis; bractea infima culmo multum 
breviori; spicis 3-4, mascula cylindrica nuda ssepius 
longe pedunculata, foemineis angustioribus remotis, sum- 
ma interdum abbreviata masculse arete contigua ses- 
sili vel oblonga ab ea 1-2 poll, remota, reliquis distan- 
tibus, infima 5-7 poll, remota basi laxiflora; perigyniis 
(ut in 5.), squama obtusa ssepe truncata cuspidata vel 
mutica vel abrupte apiculata longioribus. (Tab. XCI. 
Fig. 2.) 
Hab. Ohio, Sullivant. 
Bractea suprema saepe obsoleta, spica sua abbreviata vix 
longior; vel omnes spicis suis semper, ssepe multum, longi- 
ores : infima culmo multum brevior. Spica mascula 6-13 lin. 
longa, erecta. Spicce fceminece 2-3: summa nunc 2-3 lin. 
longa, masculse contigua, vel oblonga, remota: reliquse 7-9 
lin. longse, 2 lin. latse; distantes, basi laxiflorse. Squamce 
masculse obtusse, muticse, nervo rarius producto; infima in¬ 
terdum breve cuspidata: foeminese obtusse, ssepe trimeatse; 
inferiores breve cuspidate, superiores muticse vel abrupte api- 
culatse: vel omnes cuspidate. 
87. Yar. f. latifolia culmo latiori, angulis acutissi- 
mis; foliis subinde 15 lin. latis, 5-15 poll, longis; brac¬ 
teis 5-8 lin. latis; spica mascula ssepe inconspicua 3-9 
lin. longa, foemineis laxifloris; perigyniis (l-ro-2-ro lin. 
longis, -tVT lin. latis) ore membranaceo integro apice ab¬ 
breviate leviter vel repente excurvo, squama obtusissima 
truncata mutica vel abrupte apiculata latioribus duploque 
longioribus. (Tab. XCIII.) 
Hab. New York, Knieskern. Ohio, Sullivant. Ken¬ 
tucky, Short. 
I have found in 34 specimens of a, major— 
12 with 4 spikes. In 23 the lower females (1 or 2) were 
21 „ 5 compound at hase, with 1-3 branches 
1 „ 6 proceeding from a perigynium. 
In one the terminal spike was male at hase. 
No composition! 
In 2 the lower female was compound 
at hase. 
In b, minor — 
13 with 3 spikes. 
50 „ 4 
32 „ 5 
2 „ 6 
97 specimens. 
In c, gracillima -— 
19 with 3 spikes. 
35 „ 4 
4 „ 5 
58 specimens. 
In var. latifolia — 
3 with 3 spikes. In 1 the lower female was compound 
16 „ 4 at base. 
1 „ 5 
20 specimens. 
I have drawn the character of this variety, blanda, from the 
southern localities, where it would seem to have its largest deve¬ 
lopment. The specimen figured (Tab. XCII. Fig. 1) is one of 
Drummond’s, from Texas; Fig. 2 I received from Dewey as C. 
blanda. Though I have separated the one from the other, they 
are essentially the same, and I have no doubt hut that interme¬ 
diate states may he easily found to connect all the three. The 
habit of c is more that of the variety styloflexa. It is remarkable 
how frequently the lower spikes are compound in a, probably de¬ 
pendent on its greater luxuriance. 
The variety latifolia would seem to he more decidedly separated 
from its allies by the breadth of its leaves and bracts, than the 
var. plcmtaginea is from the typical form. 
88. C. plantaginea (Lamarck); spicis 4-5 oblongo- 
cylindricis remotis, terminali mascula atro-purpurea cou- 
colori, reliquis foemineis olivaceis subgracilibus laxifloris, 
superioribus inserte inferioribus exserte pedunculatis, in¬ 
fima ssepe radicali, vaginis purpureis aphyllis cuspidatis; 
stigmatibus 3; perigyniis ovalibus utrinque attenuatis 
acute triquetris apice subexcurvis, ore membranaceo in¬ 
tegro saepe oblique secto, crebre leviter nervosis olivaceis 
furfuraceo-asperulis, squama ovata acuta acuminato-cus- 
pidata purpurea margine albida vel pallida plus minus 
purpureo-tincta, nervo viridi, latioribus longioribusque.-— 
C. plantaginea, Lam. Encyc. iii. 392; Mich. ii. 173; 
W'illd. iv. 257; Kunth, 452 {excl. syn. Schk. f. 195); 
Schw. et Tor. 342; Eewey, Sill. vii. 272, et xi. 155; 
Carey, Gray, 523 ; Sartwell, Exs. n. 90 ( non Muhl., nec 
Elliott, nec Schk.). C. latifolia, Wall. Act. Holm.; 
Schk. f. 70. it. (Tab. XCIV.) 
Hab. Norway to Cumberland House, Arctic Ame¬ 
rica, Entmmond. New York, Sartwell, Knieskern. 
Culmi plures ex eadem radice, 1-11-pod., graciles, triquetri, 
basi vaginis purpureis aphyllis tecti, erecti, demum decum- 
bentes; pars spieas gerens 8-15 poU. longa. Folia radicalia 
lf-I poll, lata, culmo breviora vel subsequantia, firma, nervis 
2 lateralibus prominentibus notata: ssepe basi purpurea. Va¬ 
gina floriferse purpurese, cuspidate, 4 lin. ad pollicem longse. 
Pedunculi inferiores 2-3 poll, longi, gracillimi. Spica mascula 
7-12 lin. longa, 1-11 bn- lata, pedunculata vel subsessilis. 
Spicce fceminece 4 lin. ad pollicem longse, H-2 lin. latse, 4-12- 
florse, a se l|-6 poll, remote, summa nunc masculse arete 
contigua, ssepius 1-2 poll, remote: infima ssepe radicalis. 
Squamce masculse atro-purpurese, concolores, subobtusse: foe- 
minese purpurese, nervo pallido: vel albidse plus minus pur- 
pureo tincte. Perigynium 2 lin. longum, fr,Wr, lin. latum. 
Achenium 1-A lin. longum, -AmY Hn. latum, acute trique¬ 
trum, faciebus concavis. 
I have seen no specimen of this beautiful species south of New 
York ; and though I have quoted Michaux, it is evident that he 
confounded either 0. platyphylla or C. laxiflora with it, from his 
observation that it varies “vaginis aphyllis aut in foliolum desi- 
nentibus, spicisque castaneis et viridulis.” I have never seen any 
foliaceous vaginse, the absence of such separating O. plantaginea 
from C. laxiflora and G. Garreyana. 
Schkuhr’s fig. 70 u. is an exception to the exquisite truthfulness 
of his pencil. Kunth notices the anomaly of the long, stipitate 
achenia in it. In the mature achenium the stipes is broad, and 
not more than one-tenth of a line long. 
In 95 specimens of G. plantaginea I find'—• 
58 with 4 spikes. AH with 1 male. 
42 „ 5 
