Carex. | OYPERACEAE. 263 
convex, winged, striate, narrowed into a long beak ; margins and beak 
finely serrulate. Styles 2. Nut oblong, lenticular, shining,—Cheesem. 
in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv (1882) 301; Man. N.Z. FI. (1906) 818; Kukenth. 
in Phlanzenr. Heft 38 (1909) 210. 
Nortn Isuanp: Auckland—Near Mauku, H. Carse! Waihi, H. B. Devereux / 
Wellington—Ohariu Valley, 7. Kirk! Sourn Istanp: Nelson—Picton, J. H. Macmahon ! 
not uncommon in the western portion of the district, ascending to 4000 ft. on the 
Mount Arthur Plateau, 7. F. C.; near Westport, I’. Townson, 5 November—January. 
A common plant in northern Europe, north Asia, and some parts of North ‘America. 
It is probably introduced into New Zealand. 
19. C. Gaudichaudiana Kunth Enum. ii (1837) 417.—Rhizome stoloni- 
ferous. Culms slender, strict, trigonous, smooth or slightly scabrid above, 
very variable in height, usually from 4 to 12in., but sometimes dwarfed 
to 1 or 2in., at other times attaining 18in. Leaves shorter or longer 
than the culms, narrow, flat, grassy, so-izin. broad. Spikelets 5-0, 
rarely more or fewer, sessile or the lowest very shortly stalked, erect, close 
together or a little remote, }?in. long; terminal one (and sometimes a 
smaller one near its base) wholly male, linear or linear-oblong; the rest 
female, often with a few male flowers at the top, oblong, cylindric ; bracts 
long and leafy, the lowest usually exceeding the inflorescence. Glumes 
oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse or very shortly mucronate, shorter than 
the utricle, dark-purple or purplish-black, usually with a narrow pale midrib 
and margins. Utricle narrow-ovate to orbicular-ovate, much compressed, 
conspicuously nerved almost to the apex, green spotted with brownish-red 
when ripe, upper portion minutely granular-papillose; beak very short, 
almost wanting, entire or minutely 2-toothed. Styles 2. Nut broadly 
ovate, plano-convex—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii (1860) 99, t. 1514; Handb. 
N.Z. Fl. (1864) 313; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 818; Kukenth. in 
Pflanzenr. Heft 38 (1909) 312. ©. vulgaris var. Gaudichaudiana Boott 
Ill. Car. iv (1867) 169, t. 567; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii (1878) 442; 
Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi (1884) 429. C. caespitosa R. Br. Prodr. 
(1810) 242 (not of Good.). 
Var. humilior Kukenth. I.c. 313.—Culms shorter, often curved. Spikelets all 
approximate, short, oblong-ovate.. Utricles broader, ovate. 
L* ty it". LA? . , : é 
Nort AND Sours Istanps: Moist places in mountain districts from the Upper 
Waikato southwards, rarer in the lowlands. Sea-level to 4500 ft. November-— 
February. Var, humilior : Not uncommon on the mountains of Nelson, Canterbury, 
and Otago, 7’. F. C., Cockayne ! Petrie! 
Also in Australia and Tasmania, and very closely allied to the almost cosmopolitan 
C. vulgaris Fries, differing chiefly in the more compressed and conspicuously nerved 
utricles. 
20. ©. subdoia Boott in Trans. Linn. Soc. xx (1846) 142.—Rhizome 
creeping, stoloniferous. Culms slender, trigonous, slightly scabrid above, 
1-2 ft. high. Leaves usually exceeding the culms, pale-green, soft, grassy, 
7,-}in. broad; margins scabrid above. Spikelets 4-8, erect, 1-3 in. 
long; terminal 1-3 male, usually approximate, sessile, very slender, cylin- 
dric; the remainder female, usually with a few male flowers at the top, 
the upper sometimes geminate, sessile or shortly stalked, the lower solitary, 
often remote, on longer peduncles; bracts very long and leafy, far 
exceeding the inflorescence. Glumes shorter and narrower than the utricles, 
oblong, obtuse, emarginate, with an awn of variable length from the centre 
