272 CYPERACEAE. | Carex. 
Under C. Dallii (which is itself very imperfectly known) I have for the present 
placed Kirk’s C. Traversii and Petrie’s C. Gibbsit. I have scanty material of all three. 
In the first edition of this work I stated my inability to satisfactorily distinguish 
CO. Dallit and C. Traversii. Dr. Kukenthal is in very much the same position, and has 
even suggested merging both with C. Petrie:, which appears to be an extreme view. 
Mr. Petrie states that his C. Gibbsii differs from C. Dallii in the short crowded spikelets 
and long filiform culms. But I have specimens of C. T'raversit so close to it as almost 
to destroy the difference. JI am therefore leaving the three species for more leisurely 
study when a satisfactory series of specimens has been obtained. 
38. ©. Petriei Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi (1884) 413.—Densely 
tufted, usually brownish-red. Culms stout or rather slender, quite smooth, 
deeply grooved, leafy, 5-15in. high. Leaves numerous, longer or shorter 
than the culms, broad and sheathing at the base, blade narrow, =4,-75 in. 
broad, deeply grooved, concave in front, convex behind, narrowed into long 
slender points that are usually curled and twisted when dry; margins 
scabrid. Spikelets 3-5, narrow-oblong, 4—% in. long, more or less approxi- 
mate but not closely so, the lower one often remote; terminal one male, 
slender: remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers at the 
base, all stalked, but the stalks of the upper ones sometimes very short ; 
bracts long, leafy. Glumes ovate, acute or shortly cuspidate, thin and 
membranous, pale, often almost white, but usually more or less stained with 
chestnut, rarely chestnut-brown ; margins often lacerate. Utricles longer 
than the glumes, narrow-ovoid or elliptic-oblong, biconvex, rather turgid, 
smooth or obscurely nerved, shining, dark purplish-brown or almost black ; 
margins entire; beak short, 2-toothed. Styles 3. Nut elliptic, trigonous. 
—Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 828; Kukenth. in Pflanzenr. Heft 38 (1909) 689. 
Var. rubieunda Kukenth. l.c. 690.—Much smaller. Female spikelets shorter. 
Utricles more conspicuously nerved; beak very short.—C. rubicunda Petrie in Trans. 
N.Z. Inst. xxxi (1899) 355; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 825. ~) tae~S “Os 21D 
SoutH Istanp: Not uncommon in mountain districts, from Nelson to the south 
of Otago.  2000-5000ft. December—February. Var. rubicunda.—NortH ISLAND : 
Opepe, near Taupo, 7’. F.C. SoutH Istanp: Lake Te Anau, Petrie / Mount 
Earnslaw, Cockayne ! 
Characterized by the broad sheathing base of the leaves, and their fine curled and 
twisted points; by the rather small and narrow spikelets, all of which are stalked, and 
the lower on filiform peduncles; by the usually pale-coloured glumes; and by the 
narrow-ovoid or elliptic turgid utricles, which are dark purplish-brown or almost black. 
CO. rubicunda, I think, is nothing more than a depauperated state of C. Petriet, and I 
have therefore placed it as such, which is the view taken by Kukenthal. 
39. C. comans Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) 28, 
t. 7, f. 15-19.—Densely tufted, pale-green or reddish. Culms very slender, 
filiform, quite smooth, leafy, usually 6-18 in. high, but sometimes elongating 
in fruit and prostrate. Leaves longer or shorter than the culms, very 
narrow, filiform, ./,-; in. broad, flat or concave in front, slightly rounded 
at the back, grooved and striate; margins scabrid. Spikelets 5-7, linear- 
oblong, 4—-#in. long, 4-Lin. broad; terminal one (rarely two) male, very 
slender; remainder all female, sometimes with a few male flowers at the 
base, usually distant, the lowermost sometimes almost basal, the upper 
two sessile, the rest on filiform peduncles, that of the lowermost often — 
elongate; bracts.long, filiform, far overtdépping the spikelets. Glumes 
ovate, usually bifid, with a short hispid awn, membranous, pale-brown or 
red-brown; margins lacerate. Utricles rather longer than the glumes, 
lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, plano-convex or unequally biconvex, smooth 
