134 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF TITE GENUS CAREX. 
acute mucronate, superiores obtusse muticse. Perigynium 
3^-5 lin. longum, l-fL-y^lim latum, scabritie nervatione colore 
insigniter varians ; in speciminibus quibusclam Galliee ( Bondy) 
et Hispanise glaberrimum, lucidum, nerviis obsoletis; in aliis 
ex Alp. Provence {Gap) scaberrimum, nervosum. Achenium 
(cum stipite lin. longum)' UVtV lin- longum, -fg. lin. 
latum, oblongo-obovatum, insequaliter trigonum, atro-purpu- 
reum, punctatum ; stylo recto vel contorto. 
Yar. /S. Habitus omnino ut in forma typica. Culmus altior. 
Folia plerumque angustiora. Spicules feminese subinde com- 
positse. Squama ssepius mucronatae. Perigynia 2-V-3 lin. 
longa, t 8 - 0 — 1 lin. lata, compressa membranacea, recta, appressa, 
glabra, marginibus acutis vel subalatis serratis, nervatis. 
Achenio (stipite T s o lin. longo) 1 T W» lin- longo, T Vro 
lato, oblongo-obovato compresso (angulo tertio fere obsoleto) 
insequaliter triquetro, atro-purpureo, punctato; stylo con¬ 
torto. 
The variations observable in G. JiordeistiMos, a species easily 
recognized in all its forms, well exhibit the variable character of 
Garex. The G. secalinci which I have from Austria (Wahlenberg, 
from Seri. Tuckerman), from Russia (Fischer), and perigynia 
from the Altai ( Ledelour ), certainly justified AVahlenberg to con¬ 
sider it a species, from the smooth, compressed, membranous, 
appressed-imbricate, smaller perigynium ; and it is remarkable 
that those (Koch, Treviranus (FI. Rossica), Rertolini) who quote 
it as a synonym to C. hordeistichos make no allusion to these cha¬ 
racters, which, in the perfectly mature state of the perigynium, 
contrast so remarkably with the large, tumid, plano-convex, fun¬ 
gous perigynium of Yillars’ plant. But the observations of M. 
Spach show that, by cultivation, the one form passes into the 
other. 
One of the variations is peculiar,—that of the upper portion of the 
culm, supporting the male spiculse, suddenly assuming the appear¬ 
ance of a peduncle, losing the thickness and angular roughness of 
the culm. In the specimens from the Forest of Bondy, near 
Paris, and from the Sierra Nevada, the perigynium is smooth, the 
nerves almost entirely obliterated, and the alte of the margins also ; 
while in those from the Alps of Provence (Gap),the original habitat 
of Yillars, they are scabrous and nerved. Yillars says “ capsules 
vehies ou rudes.” I suspect the deposition of spongy matter, as 
the perigynium ripens, has much to do with this smoothness and 
obliteration of the nerves and ate, and the change of form from 
that of the var. /3 to the typical form, as is the case in other spe¬ 
cies; and, supposing that G. secalina is a depauperate state, one 
can easily conceive that nutrition would change its membranous 
compressed fruit into the tumid trigonous form of the type. 
Reichenbach, under C. hordeistichos, says :—“ Specimina in variis 
regionibus Galli® et Germanise lecta cum illis e Moravia et 
Rossia conveniunt omnino rigiditate, foiiis latis et spicis magnis, 
et veram Villarsii referunt plantain ; sed alia forma gracilis existat, 
baud raro ultra pedalis, obscurior, tenuis tenuifolia et microsta- 
chya, quse vel in horto, genuinse vicina, e seminibus educata, ha¬ 
bitual servat. Huic convenit fig. Schlc. S. t. 65. Partes cautius 
examinatse specificos characteres dabunt.” 
I have figured a specimen from the garden at Goetenburg (Tab. 
CCCCXXXII.), which certainly justifies this observation, as it 
has the essential character of the G. secalina, Wahl. ; but the 
detailed observations of M. Spach, from the plant cultivated in 
the Paris Garden, lead to the conclusion that the distinction is 
finally lost. No dependence can be placed on the culm or leaves, 
or the length of the spicute ; and the colour of the perigynium 
varies from a creamy whiteness to fulvous or rubescent. The ate 
are at times broad and conspicuous, or narrow or obsolete. With 
reference to the roughness on the body of the perigynium, I find 
Pillars and Willdenow only allude to it. Wallenberg and Link 
take no notice of it, while Kunth, Koch , Reichenbach, Gosson, 
Grenier, describe it as smooth. Smith says that of the Scotch 
plant is “ compressed and without any hairiness but in the spe¬ 
cimens I have seen from Drummond, it is rough and tumid. In 
my own herbarium, specimens from Austria, Provence, Tauria, 
and Cappadocia, have rough perigynia; and in others from Bondy, 
Auvergne, Sierra Nevada, and Africa, they are smooth. No one 
since Drummond has found it in Scotland. His specimens are 
in Serb. Smith, Soolcer, etc. 
The specimens figured are,— 
Tab. CCCCXXX. and CCCCXXXI. C. hordeistichos, Yillars. 
From the Paris Garden. 
Tab. CCCCXXXII. G. secalina, Wahl. 
n. 1. A specimen from Wahlenberg !, given by him to Tucker¬ 
man, from Austria. 
n. 2. A specimen from Russia, sent to me by M. Fischer. 
n. 3. From Ilort. Goet. Herb. Tuckerman, from Notte. 
n. 4. Perigynium and achenium of O. hordeistichos, from Bondy, 
near Paris. To contrast with the other details. 
Tab. CCCCXXXIII. and CCCCXXXIV. G. secalina, Wahl., 
from the Paris Garden. 
Tab. CCCCXXXV. The Cappadocian specimens of Aucher- 
Eloy. O. secalina, var. 
To add to the interest of these figures, all of which (except 
Tab. CCCCXXXII.) I owe to the kindness of M. Spach, I give 
his detailed observations on the plants cultivated in the Paris 
Garden,—-cultivation merely giving at times a greater elongation 
to the culm, and a more fungous tumid form to the perigynium of 
G. secalina :— 
“ C. secalina, Hort. Paris.:— 
“ Culmi sub anthesi 4-8 poll, longi, foiiis plus minus superati 
propter foliorum copiam parum perspicui serius autem sfepissime 
folia eequant vel superant, demum -|-2-pedales, csespitosi, obtuse 
trigoni, crassiusculi, excepta parte surnma spicas masculas gerente 
tevigati, supra summam spicam femineam subito quasi in pedun- 
culum filiformem triquetrum angulis serrulatum attenuati, basi 
foliosi et basibus foliorum emarcidorum demum infibris solutorum 
obtecti. 
“ Folia (eonsimilia foiiis G. hordeistichi, Hort. Paris., et sequo 
modo variantia) crassiuscula, subcoriacea, rigidula, glaucescenti- 
viridia, tenacea, erecta, nunc subfalcato-recurva, eximie canalicu- 
lata sive evoluta, lateribus rectis, in sectione transversa figuram v. 
referentia, ex siccatione artificiali omnino complicata, indeque 
ad dimidiam latitudinem reducta. (In planta viva folia emarcida 
persistentia ssepissime etiam complicato plana observantur) serru- 
lata (sub lente) longitudine et latitudine quam maxime variantia, 
lineari-lanceolata, in cuspidem triquetram subulato-filiformem plus 
minus elongatam, nunc rectam nunc tortuosam scaberrimam an- 
gustata. Folia fascicularia -§—2-pedalia, angusta vix 1 lin. lata, 
nunc duplo latiora (explicata4 lin. lata) basilaria culmorum culmo 
breviora ; vaginae glabrae obsolete vel obtuse trigonae. 
“ Bracteae inferiores (vel saltern infima) longe, surnma baud 
raro brevissima, vaginantes, planiuscute vel parum caniculatae, 
saepissime subfastigiatae culmoque longiores, infima 12-15 raro 
18 poll, longa ; superiores plerumque semipedales; juniores erectae 
substrictae, demum supra medium plus minus reclinatae; vagina 
infima interdum bipollicaris. 
“ Spicae mascute 2, rarius unica, tetragonae, graciles, lanceolato- 
lineares ; terminalis major 10-16 lin. longa ebracteata, vel bractea 
parva squamacea herbaceo-cuspidata vel rnutice stipata, haud raro 
spiculis 1-3 abbreviatis bracteolatis aucta; inferior plus minus 
remota sessilis, bractea longe vel breve herbaceo-cuspidata evagi- 
nata vel breve vaginante stipata (interdum basi mono- vel oligo- 
gynantha) a spica surnma feminea plus minus remota, nunc inter- 
nodio spica ista breviore insidens. 
“ Spicm feminese 2-5, plerumque 3-4, varie invicem remotse vel 
approximatse; haud raro 2—3 superiores quasi ternato-congestse, 
ab i nfi ma longe remotse, ssepius omnes plus minus internodiis 
insequalibus vel rarius subsequalibus remotse ; infima subinde sub- 
radicalis; erectse, incluse vel exserte pedunculate, fructifer® 
-i-lf poll, long®, crass®, imbricatione quadrifaria fructuum tetra¬ 
gon® rostris subdivergentibus echinat®, colore albido vel stramineo 
perigyniorum et fascia dorsali viridi, vel violacea aut fulva squa- 
marum variegat®. 
“ Squam® mascute hyalino-membranace®, albid® vel dilute 
fulv®, vel hisce coloribus aut viridi variegat®, ovales vel oblong®, 
