76 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX. 
piosissimis confluentibus, in ramis decompositis sessilibus 
congestis vel inferioribus subdiscretis dispositis ; bracteis 
e basi ovata dilatata pallida plus minus longe setaceo- 
elongatis, infima ssepe spicam superante ; stigmatibus 2 ; 
perigyniis ovato- vel ovali-lanceolatis basi cuneatis com- 
pressis sensim in rostro elongato attenuatis/ore liyalino 
antice alte secto demum bifido (laciniis acutis), plano-con- 
vexiusculis pallide castaneis, marginibus superne alatis 
serrulatis pallidioribus utrinque leviter nervatis, squamam 
lanceolatam acuminatam acutissimam membranaceam 
hyalinam castaneo tinctam sequantibus.-—C. Koestlini, 
Hochst. in TJn. Itin. 1842, n. 1244; Steudel, Syn. PI. 
Gyp. 193 (1855). (Tab. CGIV., CCY.) 
Hab. In Abyssinia, prope Demergui, inter lapides ad 
rivulos, alt. 10,500-11,000 ped., Schimper, n. 1036, 
1037, 66. 
Radix fibris lignosis validis, lateritiis. Culmus 3-pedalis, 
triqueter, validus, rigidus, scaber, basi foliosus. Folia 5 lin. 
lata, culmo longiora, carinata, inferne carinato-plicata, rigida, 
in apice longo acutissimo triquetro attenuata. Bractece ligulis 
elongatis marginalibus prseditae : basis earum ovata, pallida, 
nervata, ad ramcs conspicua: infima SEepe pedalis. Spica, in 
speciminibus magis evolutis, maxima, 6 poll, longa, subpolli- 
cem lata, in aliis minor oblonga. Squamae conformes. Pe- 
rigynium o-3-Ar lin. longum, Ao lin. latum, postice ssepe ob¬ 
scure nervatum • ore e membrana interjecta primum integro, 
antice alte secto, demum bifido ; lacinise longse, graciles, acutae, 
parallelae. Achenium Ac bn. longum, Ao^tV lin. latum, ob- 
longum, piano-convexiusculum, basi styli crassiore apiculatum. 
Var. /3. minor; spica breviori plus minus crassa con- 
ferta vel laxa ; culmo gracili; foliis angustis ; perigyniis 
brevioribus latioribus basi spongiosis, squamis ovatis sub- 
obtusis latioribus vel lanceolatis acuminatis acutis an- 
gustioribus, subinde sordide ferrugineis concoloribus. 
(Tab. CCVL, CCYII.) 
Hab. Prope Demerki et Debresld, ad rivulos ; alt. 
9000-10,500 ped., Schimper, n. 170. 
C. Koestlini variat spicse magnitudine et colore ; culmi ro- 
bore; foliorum latitudine, rigiditate; bractearum longitudine ; 
squamis lineari-lanceolatis, acuminatis, acutissimis vel ovatis, 
subobtusis, pallide castaneis, lsete vel sordide ferrugineis; peri- 
gynii longitudine, latitudine; et nervatione plus minus valida 
et copiosa; marginibusque basi acutis vel obtusis, spongiosis, 
turgidis; ore plus minus bifido; laciniis longis, linearibus, vel 
brevibus, latioribus; radix semper fibris colore lateritiis prse- 
dita. 
* 
I am indebted to M. Spach for the opportunity of examining an 
extensive suite of specimens of this fine species, all collected by 
Schimper, and am confirmed in the opinion that they are all re¬ 
ferable to one and the same species by M. Spach, who says, in a 
letter to me :•—■“ J’ai examine G. Koestlini et ses varietes, en m’ai- 
dant de vos notes, et mes reeherches aboutissent a me faire partici- 
per a votre propre opinion, et meme a ne conserver aucun doute 
sur l’identite specifique de toutes ces formes qui de prime abord 
sembleraient constituer des especes distinctes. La forme type 
(Tab. CCY.), qui a des perigynes fort nervures, comme la forme 
minor, mais sans fongosite, etablit, il me semble, le passage entre 
le major et minor. Du reste, j’ai trouve la forme des perigynes 
excessivement variable dans tous les echantillons, et je n’ai pas 
vu que la deposition de la matiere fongueuse influat en rien sur 
cette polymorphic, car des l’epoque cle la floraison et lorsque le 
perigyne est encore parfaitement membraneux, il offre, sauf les 
dimensions, la forme qu’on lui retrouve a la maturite.” 
The deposition of spongy matter in perigynia is not constant in 
one and the same spike. It is the effect of complete maturation, 
and always more or less influences the form. 
Richard has not included this species in his FI. Abyssinica. 
The original specimens distributed by the Un. Itin. were like 
Tab. CCY., one of which I have, through the kindness of my late 
friend Dr. Charles Lemann. 
190. C. conferta (Hochstetter); spica oblonga ferru- 
ginea subduplicato-composita, e spiculis 10-12 androgy- 
nis apice masculis, superioribus ovatis simplicibus sessi- 
libus confertis, inferioribus compositis brevi-peclunculatis 
discretis; bractea angusta spica longiore vel obsoleta au- 
riculata; stigmatibus 2 ; perigyniis ovatis rostratis, ore 
antice altius secto bidentato, plano-convexis superne mar- 
gine serratis antice 3-4 postice nisi basi obsolete nervatis 
pallidis, squamam late ovatam acutam ferrugineam nervo 
viridi subaequantibus.—C. conferta, Hochst. in Un. Itin. 
n. 576 (1842); Pickard, FI. Abyssin. ii. 512. (Tab. 
CCVIII.) 
Hab. In Abyssinia, prope Debresld, in pratis, alt. 
9300 ped., Schimper, n. 931. 
Rhizoma lignosum, longe repens. Culmus 2-2^-ped., acute 
triqueter, scaber, nudus, subdebilis, basi foliatus. Folia 2-3 
lin. lata, culmo longiora, plana, graminea, glauca. Bractece 
auriculatse, ssepe obsoletse. Auriculae subrotundse, ferrugineae. 
Spica 1^-2 poll, longa, 4-8 lin. lata: spiculse ovatse, apice 
parce masculse. Squamae conformes. Perigyniwm l- 6 o—A Ibi. 
longum, -to— nr lin. latum, antice medio 3-4-nervatum, palli¬ 
dum, apice ferrugineum. Achenium Ao lin. longum, \ lin. 
latum, plauo-convexum, stipitatum, basi styli clavata apicu¬ 
latum. 
A C. vulpina differt rhizomate repente, spiculis inferioribus 
pedunculatis, perigyniis brevioribus, squamis muticis. 
191. C. Bonariensis (Desfontaines); spica oblonga fla- 
vescenti-ferruginea, e spiculis pluribus androgynis, apice 
masculis, sublaxe glomeratis, glomerulis inferioribus longe 
bracteatis; stigmatibus 2; perigyniis ovatis sensim ros¬ 
tratis superne margine serratis, ore antice fisso bidentato, 
plano-convexis utrinque insigniter medio tuberculatis 
basi spongiosis antice ad latera gibbosis postice foveo- 
latis leviter nervatis stipitatis, squama ovata acuta mu- 
cronata ferruginea longioribus.—C. Bonariensis, Pesf. m 
Poir. Fncy. Suppl. iii. 250 (1813); Gay, Ann. Sc. Nat. 
x. 300 (1838 : excl. syn. Schlecht. et Kuntli). C. vulpina 
(papillosa), Nees in Hooker Journ. Pot. ii. 398 (1840). 
C. tuberculata, Nees in Herb. Iindley. (Tab. CCIX.) 
Hab. In America australi. Montevideo, Commerson, 
Isabelle. Buenos Ayres, Commerson, Tweedie. Men¬ 
doza, Gillies [Herb. Hooker ). 
Radix fibrosa. Culmus 9-12-poll., gracilis, obtusangulus, 
lsevis. Folia sublineam lata, culmo breviora. Bractece infe¬ 
riors, 2-3, foliacese, spicam plus minus longe superantes: 
infima angusta, subinde 5 poll, longa. Spica Ii poll, longa, 
3-5 lin. lata. Squamae conformes, mascuke angustiores. Sta¬ 
mina 2. Perigynium 2-2-j-^ lin. longum, A 0 —ItV im - latum, 
flavide ferrugineum. Achenium 1 lin. longum, t h ,t bm latum, 
subrotundo-ovatum, piano-convexiusculum, basi styli decidua 
crassiore. 
The singular tuberculation of the perigynia separates this spe¬ 
cies from its allies, and is entirely wanting in the plant described 
by Schlechtendal and Ivunth, which I refer to the next species. 
192. C. involucrata (Boott); spica ovato-subrotunda 
