ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX. 
55 
of the Lirmean Transactions, p. 116, to the G. juncea, Willd. 
This last has always a terminal male spike, and a nerveless peri- 
gynium, the upper margins of which are hispid, and is identical 
with the O. miser of Buckley. Kunze describes 0. HugeUana 
with the terminal spike male or androgynous ; his figure (t. 48), 
showing the androgynous spike, and a smooth perigynium, which 
from the specimens sent to Sir W. J. Hooker as C. HugeUana, 
I refer to G. csstivalis. Whether the other species, with the 
male spike and hispid perigynium, be the 0. juncea of Willde- 
now I have no precise means of knowing, as I have not seen 
authentic specimens of that plant, but it agrees generally with the 
description of it given by Kunth and Link. That Kunze had no 
definite conception of his G. HugeUana, the mixed specimens sent 
to Sir W. J. Hooker under that name would prove; and that he 
confounded 0. arctata, or some allied species, with G. gracillima, 
is evident, from his ascribing a rostrate perigynium to the last, 
both in his description and figure of it. 
In 23 specimens I find— 
20 with 4 spikes. The terminal spike male at base. 
3 „ 5 
134. C. gracillima (Scliweinitz); spicis 4-5 rarius 3-6 
gracilibus cylinchicis oblongis vel elongatis densifloris 
pedunculatis viridibus demum olivaceis, terminali basi 
rarius omnino mascula, reliquis foemineis ssepe pendulis, 
superioribus approximatis, inferioribus remotis longe ex- 
serte setaceo-pedunculatis basi laxifloris interdum com- 
positis, infima ssepe longissime vaginata; bracteis cul- 
mum subsequantibus vel eo brevioribus; stigmatibus 3 ; 
perigyniis oblougo-ovalibus vel obovatis obtusis turgidis 
trigonis, ore integro, nervatis olivaceis vel ferrugineis, 
nervis pallidioribus pellucide demum ferrugineo-puncta- 
tis, squama albida nervo viridi oblonga obtusa abrupte 
brevi-cuspidata vel mutica rarius acuta latioribus longio- 
ribusque.—C. gracillima, Sc ho. An. tab. ; Dewey, Sill. 
viii. 98 ; Tor. Mon. 408 ; Carey, l. c. 522 ; Sartwell, 
Dees. n. 87; Kunth, 454; Kunze, 36. t. 8 {ex parte') ; 
Darlington, FI. Cest. ed. 3. 349. C. digitalis, Schw. 
et Tor. 324. t. 27.f. 1 (non Willd.)-, Beck, Bot. 436. 
(Tab. CXLY.) 
Hab. In America septentrionali, in pratis liumidis. 
Norway House, Richardson. New England to Michi¬ 
gan, Carey. 
Culmus l-2|-ped., gracilis, apice setacens, scaber, foliis va- 
ginantibus munitus, basi rudimentis foliorum purpureis fibrillo- 
sis tectus pars spicas gerens 5-9 etiam 21 poll, longa. Folia 
1-4 lin. lata, culmo breviora, graminea, vaginseque glabrae. 
Bradea infima foliacea, 1-11 lin. lata, culmum subaequans vel 
eo brevior: superiores setaceae. Vagina infima 1-4^ poll, 
longa. Pedunculi capillares, scabri: infimus 2-5| poll, longus. 
Spicce omnes pedunculatae, 8 lin. ad 2 poll, longae, 1-2 lin. 
latae: terminalis rarius omnino plerumque basi plus minus 
mascula : foemineae superiores approximates, inferiores remotae, 
omnes, nisi summa, vaginatae, demum pendulae : infima basi 
laxiflora. Squamce albae, nervo viridi demum castaneo : mas- 
culae inferiores, laxae, lanceolatae, acutae, superiores obtusae: 
foemineae oblongae, obtusae, abrupte cuspidatae; vel inferiores 
acutae, superiores saepe muticaevel mucronulatae. Perigynium 
1 7 5 - c —— lin. longum, -f\, —lin. latum. Achenium lin. 
longum, tL-tV bn. latum, triquetro-ovale vel obovatum, basi 
styli apiculatum, flavidum, punctatum. 
A C. cestivali difiert, culmo validiori; foliis latioribus; spicis 
longioribus, longe pedunculatis, demum saepe pendulis, inferi¬ 
oribus longe vaginatis; perigyniis obtusis, turgidis; squamis 
abrupte cuspidatis : foliis vaginisque glabris. 
This species varies in the breadth of the spikes, in their being 
more or less loosely flowered, more or less pendulous; in the 
degree of obtuseness of the perigynium, the distinctness of the 
nerves, and the form and proportionate length of the scales. The 
male terminal spike is exceptional. I have observed it only in 
specimens out of sixty-five. 
I have quoted Kunze’s f. 8 , as it evidently represents this 
species, though in the details, at f and g, and in his description 
“ utriculis rostratis, rostro bidentato,” he confounds probably C. 
arctata with it. 
In 65 specimens I find— 
1 with 3 spikes. 3 terminal spike male. 
27 „ 4 62 terminal spike male at base. 
36 ,, 5 
1 „ 6 
In one the two lowest spikes compound at base, the lowest 
having three short branches. 
In one the lowest compound at base, with an elongated branch. 
135. C. sterilis (Willclenow); spicis polygamis e spi- 
culis 4-5 rarius 6 nudis contiguis dioicis, masculis vel 
rarius foemineis, plerumque androgynis basi vel apice, vel 
apice et basi masculis, vel superioribus masculis, inferio¬ 
ribus foemineis vel androgynis; spiculis masculis oblon¬ 
gis, foemineis androgynisque subrotundis, infima saepe 
oblonga pluriflora, summa reliquisque androgynis ple¬ 
rumque basi parce masculis ; stigmatibus 2 ; perigyniis 
e basi utrinque tenui arguta cordatis sensim rostratis 
acute bifidis antice alte sectis plus minus nervatis superne 
marginibus acutis serratis compressis divergentibus vel 
inferioribus recurvatis, squama ovata castanea margine 
albo-hyalina acuta vel cuspidata paulo longioribus vel 
subsequantibus.—C. sterilis, Willd. iv. 20S ; Schk. f. 
146 (optima); Muhl. 217 ; Sclav . et Tor. 293 ; Dewey, 
xi. 304; Dlliott, ii. 525; Sartwell, Dxs. n. 37. C. 
stellulata, /3, Tor. Mon. 392. C. stellulata, var. sterilis, 
Carey, 515. (Tab. CXLYI.) 
Hab. In America septentrionali. Canada to Carolina. 
Csespitosa. Radix fibrosa: fibris tenuibus minime lignosis. 
Culmus 9-14 poll, altus, rigidus, scaber, basi rudimentis folio- 
rum vaginisque obscure ferrugineis tectus. Folia involuta, 
quaedam setacea, vel alia \, demum senilia evoluta lineam lata, 
culmo breviora vel longiora. Spicce ex eadem radice distri- 
butione florum admodum variabiles : saepe omnino masculae, 
rarius tote foemineae, saepius androgynae, basi parce vel apice 
vel apice et basi masculae : vel spieulae superiores masculae: in¬ 
feriores foemineae vel androgynae. Spiculce 4-5, rarius 6 , ple¬ 
rumque contiguae, nudae : infima tantum subinde subremota: 
mcisculce pallide castaneae, 4-6 lin. longae, 1 lin. latae: feemi- 
neae vel androgynae (summa nusquam vel rarissime basi atte- 
nuato-mascula) subrotundae, 3 lin. longae et latae, vel infima 
pluriflora, 4 lin. longa, nuda, rarius bractea spica sua longiori. 
Squamce castaneae, margine albo-hyalinae, acutae : in spicis foe¬ 
mineis vel androgynis inferiores acutae, nervo infra apicem 
evanescente: superiores acutissimae, cuspidatae, perigynium 
aequantes. Perigynium 1-A—nr tin. longum, -fMa bn. latum, 
compression, basi utrinque marginibus tenuibus argutis, cor- 
datum, acute bifidum, superne e medio serratum, demum oli- 
vaceum vel ferrugineum, divergens, apice recurvum vel ad 
basin spicae omnino recurvatum, utrinque nervatum, nervis 
postice paucioribus. Achenium j- lin. longum, -A,- lin. latum, 
suborbiculatum, basi productum, basi styli crassiori abrupte 
apiculatum. 
A C. stellulata, Good., differt, inflorescentia polygama ; spi¬ 
culis pluribus, plurifloris, summa vix unquam basi attenuato- 
mascula; perigyniis ad basin marginibus tenuibus argutis com¬ 
pressis cordatis, acute bifidis, nervis paucioribus, magis remo¬ 
tis ; squamis acutissimis, cuspidatis, perigynia saepe aequan- 
