180 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GENUS CAREX. 
Wind. 216 ; Schk.f. 81; Kunth, 427 ; Gaud. Helv. 61; 
Bertol. 40; Beicli. t. 224; Koch, 863; Lang, 63; 
Steud. 188. (Ic. ined. DCX. in Herb. Keiv.) 
Hab. In Europa, in montibus.—Tyrol, Italy, Ger¬ 
many. 
Rhizomu validum. Culmus ^-1-pedalis, triqueter, lsevis, 
basi foliatus vaginisque foliorum ferrugineis tectus. Folia 1- 
1-4 bn. lata, culmo breviora vel sequantia, rigida, apice attenu- 
ata, saepe eurvata. Bractece plerumque foliacese; infima subinde 
3 pollices longa, 1-,'- lin. lata, nunc reflexa, rarius ovata, spicula 
brevior. Squamae masculae lanceolatse, angustiores, omnes 
nivese, concolores, vel demura lineolis fulvis plus minus no- 
tatse. Spica 4-6 lin. longa, 4-9 lin. lata. Spicula patentes, 
flosculis masculis imbricatis pluribus ; inferiores ssepe e peri- 
gynio egredientes. Perigynium 2-2~ lin. longum, lin. 
latum. Achenium 1^2. lin. longum, lin. latum, oblongum, 
triquetrum, faciebus concavis, ferrugineum, basi styli crassiore 
apiculatum. Stigmata 3, valida, dense rugosa. 
This remarkable plant is almost as local in its haunts as its still 
more remarkable ally O. Fraseri in the Southern States of Ame¬ 
rica. In one of the specimens figured the spike is of 1 spicula. 
The lower spiculse frequently issue from a perigynium ; and the 
perigynium, which in the recent state is, I suspect, more or less 
ventricose, is at times proliferous, bearing an axis with female and 
male florets. 
423. C. Bcenninghauseniana (Weihe); spica elongata 
graciii pallida interrupta, rachi recta, e spiculis 10-16 
ovalibus vel lineari-oblongis parvis insequalibus poly- 
gamis apice vel omnino masculis vel rarius basi mas¬ 
culis vel omnino femineis, superioribus congestis saepe 
masculis, itiferioribus remotis compositis nunc omnino 
femineis; bracteis inferioribus elongatis, superioribus 
muticis; stigmatibus 2; perigyniis ovato-acuminatis 
rostellatis bidentatis plano-convexis e medio margine 
serratis utrinque nervatis, nervis antice convergentibus 
erectis, demum pallide brunneis punctis ferrugineis macu- 
latis, squama ovato-lanceolata acuta vel cuspidata pallide 
brunnea margine late albo-hyalina longioribus vel sub- 
aequantibus.—C. Boenninghauseniana, Weihe, Regensb. 
Bot. Ztg. (1826); Kunth, 404; Koch, 868; Kunze, t. 
22; Reich, t. 219; Fries, Sum. 72; Anders. 56. i. 4. 
f. 41 ; Lange, 45 ; Eng. Bot. t. 2910; Bromjield, 555 ; 
Steud. 197.—C. axillaris, Fries, Mant. 2, 57; Bentham, 
559. C. axillaris, /3 , Meyer, FI. Ross. 283. C. Hailstoni, 
Gibson. ( Lc. ined. DCXI. in Herb. Kew.) 
Hab. In Europa et Asia.—Denmark, Sweden, Eng¬ 
land, France, Germany, Caucasus (FI. Ross.). 
Dense csespitosa. Culmi numerosi, 2-4-pedales, graciles, 
firmi, patentes, acute triquetri, scabri, basi squamis fusco- 
brunneis tecti. Folia l-l-^ lin. lata, culmum subsequantia, 
canaliculata. Bractea infima ssepe foliacea, spica longior vel 
setacea brevis; 2 proximse nunc breves setacese; alise squamse- 
formes, muticse. Squamae mmculae obtusge, brunnese, margine 
late albo-hyalinae, nervo viridi infra apicem evanescente; femi- 
nece angustiores, acutiores, nervo saepe excurrente. Spica 
3-6 pollices longa. Rachis stricta, inaequaliter angulata. 
Spiculae superiores 4-10, congests, ovatae vel oblongae, acutae, 
saepe omnino masculae; mediae minus congestae, flosculis fe- 
mineis pluribus basi sitis ; inferiores 1-4, remotae, nunc om¬ 
nino femineae, saepius spiculis partialibus 2-8 alternis compo- 
sitae, 1-14 poll, longae. Perigynium 1 T V~A lin. longum, 
t 0 - lm. latum, ovato-lanceolatum, bifidum, membranaceum, basi 
et ad latera spongiosum, pallidum, demum punctis fulvis nota- 
tum, antice 7-8- postice 3-4-nervatum, nervis superne versus 
apicem acbenii convergentibus evanidis, ubi sulcus inter latera 
lucida spongiosa usque ad fissuram oris currit. Achenium 
T,i bn. longum, -fu lin. latum, ovatum vel ovale, punctulatum, 
ferrugineum, basi styli apiculatum. In uno perigynio racheola 
linearis, 1-K- lin. longa adest. 
I have taken the character of this plant chiefly from the speci¬ 
mens and the report given of them by Mr. Coleman in the ‘ En¬ 
glish Botany.’ He distinguishes it from G. axillaris by its forming 
much larger hassocks, the culm being more slender, but more 
rigid, and much more scabrous, the foliage of a darker green, the 
leaves channelled, like the half of a hollow cylinder, the spike 
more white (from the broad scarious margins of the squamse), 
longer, less dense, and more gracile ; the partial spikelets in the 
lower compound spiculse being alternately arranged, and the upper 
bracts not cuspidate. 
Both are distinguished from C. remota by the longer, more sca¬ 
brous, and acute-angled culm, the inferior compound spiculse, the 
variable position of the male florets, those of C. remota being 
always inferior. 
There is a difference in authors as to the position of the male • 
florets in C. Boenninghauseniana. Fries, in his ‘ Mantissa,’ says, 
“Spiculse certe basi mascukc.” He makes no mention of com¬ 
pound spiculse, and says the culm is “ tactu lsevis.” Andersson, 
equally describing the northern plant, says, “ culmo scaberrimo, 
spica infima composita,” but he says nothing of the position of the 
stamens. Hoppe says, “spicis omnibus superne masculis.” 
Lange says, “in situ florum masculorum quam maxime varians.” 
Kunze says, “ spiculis plerisque basi apiceque masculis, superi¬ 
oribus ssepe mere masculis, inferioribus raro femineis.” Brom- 
field, in his ‘ Flora Vectensis,’ says, “ Staminate florets apparently 
few at the base of each of the lower spikelets, often scarcely any, 
one or two occasionally in the centre or upper part of them, more 
numerous in the terminal and subterminal spikelets, which are 
sometimes wholly staminate or nearly so.” Coleman says, “ The 
upper spikelets are wholly barren, or fertile at the base only, the 
lower fertile, or barren only at the top and he adds, “ In nei¬ 
ther G. axillaris nor in G. Boenninghauseniana do we find the 
barren florets inferior, as is asserted by most authors. In both, 
the upper portion of the main spike is chiefly barren and the 
lower fertile, and the same arrangement always prevails in the 
ultimate spikelets; very rarely a single barren floret or even 2 or 
3 occur among the fertile ones on the same ultimate spikelets, 
but never in any specimens at the base. In G. Boenning¬ 
hauseniana some of the spikes (chiefly from the circumference of 
the tuft) have the barren florets much more numerous than the 
fertile. In one fine specimen 236 barren to 41 fertile, while in 
those from the centre the proportion is reversed,—in one 9 barren 
to 104 fertile. In G. axillaris the proportion is much more con¬ 
stant.” Coleman remarks, that it has much the habit of G. pani- 
culata; and Lang says, “ fortasse nil nisi forma sterilis C. pani- 
culatceP But the form and texture of the perigynium are very 
different, and ally it to G. remota and G. axillaris. 
G. ludibunda, Gay, is a variety with a shorter coarctate spike 
and more numerous spiculse.— 
“ Spica coarctata, 1-1|- poll, longa, 30-58-stachya, e spiculis 
7-12 confertis plerumque ex toto masculis et glomerulis 2-5 
polystachyis, spiculas in ramulo brevi imbricatas sexu plerumque 
distinctas femineas masculis intermixtas gerentibus.—Spiculse 
feminese ovoidese vel ellipsoidese. Intermixtse occurrunt spiculse 
androgynse, apice summo vel ima basi masculse; alise maxima 
parte masculse, apice summo femineae. Paniculam vidi totam et 
aliam fere masculam, in qua nempe spiculse tantum 3 ad glomerulos 
inferiores pertinentes apice summo vel ima basi femineae fuerunt.” 
—C. ludibunda, Gay, Ann. Sc. JVat. 10, 357 (1838) ; Steud. 197. 
The specimen figured is from Mr. Coleman, Hertford. 
424. C. bracteosa (Kunze); spica ovata vel oblonga 
densa involucrata flavescenti-viridi demum brunnea, e spi- 
