40 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX. 
culis congestis, summis rarius abortivis, infimis 1-2 masculis), 
omnes sctaceo-pedunculatse, pendulse, remotse: infima fere 
semper radicalis. Squama albse, demum plus minus cast an ere, 
nervo viridi: masculae latiores, obtusse, nervo infra apicem 
evanescente: vel angustiores, lanceolate, acute: foeminese 
lanceolate vel ovato-acuminate, cuspidate. Perigynium 
1A~to bn. longum, A~nr bn. latum, rostellatum, apice 
ssepius excurvo, interdum recto; ore albido, integro; oliva- 
ceum, furfuraceo-asperulum. Achenium l-/ 0 - lin. longum, 
A lin. latum, ovale, acute triquetrum, castaneum, angulis pal- 
lidioribus, basi styli apiculatum. 
A C. digitali, Willd., differt, foliis latioribus, glaucis; spicis 
foemineis, ssepe basi masculis, densifloris, brevioribus, latiori¬ 
bus, pendulis; squamis foemineis lanceolatis; perigyniis majo- 
ribus, apice attenuatis, rostellatis; bracteis brevioribus. 
The male florets (one or two) at the base of the female spikes have 
been overlooked by observers, and this character affords, with the 
general habit, I think, a sufficient distinction from its allies. They 
have not been drawn in the figure, but, though indistinct, the fila¬ 
ments, and at times the anthers, are easily discernible. I have 
found them frequently on all the spikes, but at times, though the 
scale is present, they are absent, having either fallen, or the scale 
is sterile. 
92. C. digitalis (Willdenow); spicis 4 rarius 3-5 gra- 
cilibus, terminali mascula cylindrica vel clavata peduncu- 
lata vel abbreviata subsessili nuda, reliquis foemineis in¬ 
terdum apice masculis remotis laxi-dissitifloris cylindricis 
linearibus, omnibus (inferioribusque longe) exserte pedun- 
culatis pendulis, infima ssepe radicali; bracteis elongatis; 
stigmatibus 3 ; perigyniis triquetro-ovalibus obtusis, ore 
membranaceo integro ssepe obliquo, crebre leviter nervo- 
sis olivaceis furfuraceo-asperulis, squama ovata acuta vel 
cuspidata albida medio viridi trinervi longioribus vel 
{infimis) brevioribus.—C. digitalis, Willdenoio, iv. 298; 
MvJil. 225?; Carey, Gray , Dot. 524 ; Sartwell, Exs. 94 
{non Schw. et Tor. 324. t. 26. /. 1. quae C. gracillima 
Schw). C. oligocarpa, MM. 242 (non Schk.); Schw. 
et Tor. 344; Tor. Mon. 415. C. Van-Vlecldi, Schw. An. 
tab. C. oligocarpa, var. Van-Vlecldi, Dewey, Sill. x. 281. 
(Tab. XCVIII.) 
Hab. In America septentrionali. New York to Penn¬ 
sylvania and Ohio. 
Culmus 6-15-poll., gracillimus, debilis, acutaugulus, scaber, 
basi foliatus; pars spicas gerens 3-15 poll, longa. Folia 1-2 
lm. lata, elongata, culmo breviora, viridia, firma, demum ner- 
vis 2 lateralibus prominentibus notata. Bractea elongate, 
vaginate, spicis suis pedunculisque ssepe duplo longiores: su- 
periores, interdum omnes, culmo longiores: inferiores nunc 
8-11 pollices longse. Vagina infima ) rarius poll, longa. 
Pedunculi capillares: infimus subinde 3-5 poll, longus. Spica 
mascula pollicaris, lineam lata, cylindrica vel clavata, basi 
attenuata, pedunculata : vel subsessilis, 4 lin. longa, \ lin. 
lata, alba vel castanea, nuda vel bractea sterili paulo ab ejus 
basi remota suffulta. Spica foeminea 4-12 lin. longse, 1-11 
lin. latte, 3-9- rarius 12-florae, stepe dissitiflorae (flosculis con- 
tiguis vel alternatim dispositis, superioribus saepe masculis vel 
abortivis) : inferiores nutantes vel pendulae : infima saepe radi¬ 
calis. Squama albidae, nervo viridi: vel masculae castaneae, 
lanceolatae, obtusae, nervo infra apicem evanescente, vel acutae : 
fcemineae ovate, acutae, muticae, vel inferiores plus minus 
cuspidatae. Perigynium lA—nv bn. longum, Ao~tw bn- latum, 
ovale, triquetrum, angulis subacutis, utrinque obtusum vel 
apice brevissimo excurvo, ore albido integro, recto vel obliquo, 
olivaceum, crebre nervosum, furfuraceo-asperulum. Achenium 
1_L t - 6 . fin. longum, plus T fi 0 vel -V lin. latum, triquetro-ovale, 
fuscum, basi styli apiculatum. 
Mr. Carey states that this species is found from New England 
to Michigan. Elliott inserts it in his Sketch on the authority of 
Schweinitz, hut the only specimen so named in his herbarium, 
Mr. Curtis tells me, is the O. debilis of Michaux from Dr. Torrey. 
It was long considered to be the C. oligocarpa of Schkuhr, until 
Dr. Gray verified it as the plant of Willdenow by an examination 
of the original specimen in Berlin. Kunth inserts it in his ‘ Cype- 
racese,’ and I should have quoted him if he had not given as a 
synonym the species figured by Torrey in his and Schweinitz’s 
Monograph (t. 26. fig. 1), which is C. gracillima, Schw. 
93. C. oligocarpa (Schkuhr); spicis 4-5 rarius 3 erec- 
tis, terminali mascula elongata cylindrica pedunculata 
vel rarius abbreviata subsessili castanea, reliquis foemi¬ 
neis pallide viridibus oblongis 3-9-floris sublaxifloris 
remotis vel superioribus nunc approximatis, inferioribus 
breve exserte pedunculatis, infima subinde radicali, una 
vel altera ssepe basi composita; bracteis elongatis vagi- 
nisque glabris; stigmatibus 3 ; perigyniis oblongo-ovali- 
bus vel obovatis apice sensim attenuatis rectis vel exeur- 
vis, ore integro, obtuse triquetris creberrime striato-ner- 
vosis, nervis tenuibus quasi undulatis, pallide viridibus 
demum ferrugineis concoloribus, squama alba ovata 
acuta vel obtusa medio viridi trinervi longe valideque 
cuspidata longioribus, infimis ( cuspide ) ssepe duplo tri- 
plove brevioribus.—C. oligocarpa, Schk., Gray, Sill. xlii. 
14; Carey, (ed. 1) 555 ; Sartwell, Exs. n. 98 et 99 
(non Deivey, x. 280, nec Schio. et Tor. 344, nec Tor. Mon. 
415, quce C. digitalis). C. oligocarpa, var. Sartwelliana, 
Deioey, v. 176. C. Sartwelliana, Gay (fide Dewey). C. 
Hitchcockiana, var., Tor. Mon. 413, et Dewey in Herb. 
JBoott. (Tab. XCIX.) 
Yar. minor; culmo breviori gracillimo, spicis 3-4 
paucifloris, perigyniis minoribus.—C. oligocarpa, Schk. 
v. v. v. f. 170; Willd. iv. .279. 
Hab. In America Boreali, in sylvis. New York to 
Ohio. 
Culmus 1-1-i-pedalis, gracilis, firmus, apice scabriusculus, 
stricte erectus, basi foliatus, rudimentis foliorum vaginisque 
glabris purpureis tectus; pars spicas gerens 6-8 stepe 12-15 
poll, longa. Folia 1-1 £ lin. lata, elongata, culmo breviora. 
Bractea elongatse, vaginate: superiores culmo longiores. Va¬ 
gina 2-12 lin. longse, glabrae. Ligula oblonga, obtusa, alba. 
Peclunculus infimus 1-11 poll, longus. Spica mascula cylin¬ 
drica, 7-15 lin. longa, lineam lata, plus minus longe peduncu¬ 
lata, nuda vel bracteata, castanea, erecta: vel rarius abbre¬ 
viata, 4-5 lin. longa, obliqua. Spica foeminea 3-10 lin. longse, 
2-3 lin. latse, ssepius omnes a se 11-6 poll, remotse: vel su¬ 
periores interdum approximate: omnes vel inferiores solum, 
exserte pedunculate, una vel altera basi utrinque composita, 
ramulis 1—2 e latere perigynii egredientibus. Squama mas¬ 
cula castanese, margine albo-hyalinse, obtuse vel acutse, mu- 
ticse, nervo infra apicem evanescente, vel in superioribus ra¬ 
rius in omnibus plus minus extra producto: infima ssepe in 
bracteam plus minus longam desinente: foeminea albse, nervo 
viridi, obtusse vel acutse ; inferiores prsecipue vel omnes longe 
hispido-cuspidatse. Perigynium lA _ 2 lin. longum, AAo 
lin. latum. Achenium 1A lin. longum, A bn- latum, sub¬ 
acute triquetrum, basi productum, basi styli apiculatum. Sty¬ 
lus brevis, supra basin incrassatus. 
I have at different times received this species from Dewey and 
others, as C. Hitchcockiana and its variety minor, and I cannot 
refer to any description of it, since Willdenow’s, anterior to that 
of Mr. Carey in Gray’s Botany. The C. oligocarpa, Dewey (Sill, 
x. 280), is C. digitalis. His characters, “ decumbent, culm, long 
