Part 82

C. ARCTATA x CASTANEA, Bailey. Leaves mostly narrower, less hairy or smooth; spikes very slender and loosely flowered (scarcely over 1'' wide), erect or drooping, chestnut color; perigynium thin, long-ovate, shorter-beaked, lightly nerved, mostly surpassing the pointed whitish scale. (C. Knieskernii, _Dewey_.)--Oneida Co., N. Y.; Keweenaw Co., Mich. (_Farwell_); N. Minn.

50. C. capillaris, L. Very slender but erect, 2--12' high; culm smooth, longer than the narrow flat or at length involute leaves; spikes 2--4, either scattered or approximate, all more or less long-peduncled and drooping, borne in the axils of conspicuous sheathing bracts, very small (3--12-flowered); perigynium thin, very small, oblong-ovoid, the beak hyaline-lipped, longer than the very obtuse white scale.--Alpine summits of the White Mts.; Cortland, N. Y., Alcona Co., Mich., and Point de Tour, L. Huron. (Eu.)

[*] 4.--[+] 4. _Debiles._

[++] _Perigynium thin, rarely with more than two prominent nerves._

51. C. arctata, Boott. Slender, erect, 1--2 deg. high; radical leaves much shorter than the culm and very broad (21/2--5''), flat; bracts broad and short, long-sheathing; spikes 3--5, all widely spreading or drooping on filiform stalks, 1--3' long and exceedingly slender; perigynium short (2'' long or less), abruptly and conspicuously stipitate and abruptly contracted into a beak, 3-cornered, prominently nerved, green, mostly spreading, scarcely longer than the very sharp or cuspidate scale.--Woods and copses, N. Eng. to Penn. and Minn.; common.

Var. Faxoni, Bailey. Spikes shorter and usually short-peduncled, erect or nearly so, much more densely flowered, part of them commonly contiguous at the top of the culm, rendering the shorter staminate spike inconspicuous; perigynium usually larger.--Lisbon, N. H. (_Faxon_); Keweenaw Co., Mich. (_Farwell_); extreme northern Minn. (_Bailey_); also in Canada.

52. C. debilis, Michx., var. Rudgei, Bailey. Very slender and diffuse, 1--21/2 deg. high (or rarely reduced to 3--4'!); leaves narrow and lax, longer than the culm; spikes mostly heavier than in the last; perigynium much longer, very gradually narrowed at each end, scarcely angled and not prominently nerved, rusty when ripe, erect, twice longer than the obtuse or acutish scale. (C. debilis, of last ed.)--Copses, N. Eng. to N. Mich., and southward; frequent east and southward.--Var STRICTIOR, Bailey. Usually taller, strict; leaves broader (about 2'' wide) and firmer; spikes stiffer, simply spreading or even erect; perigynium mostly shorter and greener, often little exceeding the scale. White Mts. (_Faxon_).--Var PUBERA, Gray. Perigynium usually more slender, more nerved and minutely pubescent. Center and Lancaster Counties, Penn. (_Porter, Lumsden_), and Bedford Co., Va. (_Curtiss_).

C. DEBILIS x VIRESCENS, Bailey. Plant slender and very green; leaves flat, rough, mostly longer than the culm, spikes 2--3, 2' long, thin and slender, erect or nearly so, the terminal one bearing a few pistillate flowers at top; perigynium exactly intermediate between the two species, lance-ovate, nerved and slightly hairy, short-beaked, thin, twice longer than the scale.--Revere, near Boston, Mass. (_Faxon_).

[++][++] _Perigynium firm, prominently many-nerved._

53. C. venusta, Dewey, var. minor, Boeckl. Slender but strict, 11/2--2 deg. high; leaves narrow and strict, about as long as the culm; spikes 1--2' long, scattered, the upper usually ascending, the terminal one sometimes staminate at top; perigynium ascending, the very short and stout beak prominently toothed, thrice longer than the rusty narrow scale. (C. glabra, _Boott_.)--Sphagnous swamps, Oneida Co., N. Y., N. J., and southward; local.

[*] 4.--[+] 5. _Gracillimae._

[++] _Perigynium small, scarcely turgid._

54. C. aestivalis, M. A. Curtis. Slender but erect, 1--11/2 deg. high; leaves very narrow, flat, shorter than the culm, the sheaths pubescent; spikes 3--4, erect or spreading, 1--2' long and very loosely flowered, all but the lowest short-stalked; perigynium very small, ovate, scarcely pointed and the orifice entire, few-nerved, about twice longer than the obtuse scale.--Saddle Mountain, W. Mass., and southward in the mountains to N. C.; rare.

55. C. gracillima, Schwein. Tall and slender, sometimes diffuse, 11/2--3 deg. high; leaves broad and flat (the radical about 3'' wide), very dark and bright green; spikes 3--4, scattered, the terminal rarely staminate, densely flowered except at base, peduncled and drooping, green; perigynium ovate, thin and slightly swollen, nerved, obtuse, orifice entire, twice longer than the very obtuse scale.--Woodlands and low meadows, throughout; common.--In poorer soil and sunny places, it runs into var. HUMILIS, Bailey, and is then smaller, has much narrower leaves and very small erect spikes (2--12-flowered), and mostly smaller perigynia.

C. GRACILLIMA x HIRSUTA, Bailey. In habit like var. humilis; spikes tawny; perigynium like that of C. triceps, var. hirsuta; plant smooth, or very minutely pubescent under a strong lens.--Philipstown, N. Y. (_Barratt_).

C. GRACILLIMA x PUBESCENS, Bailey. Tall and erect; leaves narrower than in the last, usually slightly hairy; spikes slender, erect or slightly spreading, often staminate at top; perigynium exactly intermediate between the two species, ovate, obscurely nerved, sparsely hairy, beaked, about the length of the ovate ciliate rough-awned scale. (C. Sullivantii, _Boott_.)--Columbus, Ohio (_Sullivant_); Yonkers, N. Y. (_E. C. Howe_); Stanton, Del. (_Commons_).

[++][++] _Perigynium large, prominently inflated_.

56. C. formosa, Dewey. Slender, erect, 1--21/2 deg. high; leaves flat, mostly rather broad, those of the culm very short; spikes 3--5, scattered, oblong or short-cylindrical (1' long or less), compact, all flexuose or drooping; perigynium ovate, puncticulate, obscurely nerved, short-beaked with a slightly notched orifice, all but the lowest one or two twice longer than the blunt or cuspidate scale.--Woods and copses, Vt. to Mich.; local.

57. C. Davisii, Schwein. & Torr. Always taller; spikes heavier; perigynium more inflated, strongly nerved and prominently toothed, no longer or shorter than the conspicuously awned and spreading scale.--Wet meadows, W. Mass. to S. Minn., and southward; rare east and northward.

[*] 4.--[+] 6. _Griseae_.

58. C. grisea, Wahl. Stout, 1--2 deg. high; leaves broad (2--3'') and slightly glaucous; bracts broad and leaf-like, diverging, very much exceeding the culm; staminate spike small and sessile; pistillate spikes 3--4, short (1' long or less), the highest two usually contiguous to the staminate spike and sessile, the others somewhat remote and peduncled, all erect, compact; perigynium oblong, pointless, marked with impressed nerves, turgid and cylindric, all but the lowest longer than the narrow, cuspidate or blunt, nerved scale.--Moist grounds, throughout, except along our northern borders; common.--Var. ANGUSTIFOLIA, Boott. Much more slender; leaves scarcely half so wide, the bracts, especially, much narrower and shorter and more erect; spikes slender, perigynium scarcely inflated, triangular-oblong, bearing a sharp beak-like point, 2-ranked; scale nerveless, long-awned and spreading. N. J. to S. Ohio, and southward; common.--Var. GLOBOSA, Bailey. Low, 3--12' high, often spreading; spikes few-flowered, often with but 2 or 3 perigynia; perigynium short, inflated, very blunt, nearly globose or obovate; scale short, not prominently cuspidate or the upper ones wholly blunt. Mo., Kan., and southward.

Var. (?) rigida, Bailey. Rigid; leaves rather narrow, long and erect; staminate spike prominently peduncled; pistillate spikes scattered, all more or less stalked, conspicuously 2 ranked; perigynium triangular-oblong, hard, longer than the cuspidate ascending scale.--Sellersville, Penn., and Del.

59. C. glaucodea, Tuckerm. Lax or somewhat strict (6--18' high), densely glaucous; leaves flat, variable in width; spikes as in n. 58; perigynium firm, not inflated, prominently impressed-nerved, glaucous, longer than the short-cuspidate or blunt thin and appressed scale. (C. flaccosperma, last ed.)--Meadows and swamps, Mass. to S. Ill., and southward; local.

[*] 5. SPIROSTACHYAE.--[+] 1. _Granulares_.

60. C. granularis, Muhl. Erect or spreading, 8'--2 deg. high, somewhat glaucous; leaves flat, various; bracts broad and long, much exceeding the culm; spikes 3--4, scattered, all but the upper peduncled, erect or ascending, compact, short-oblong to cylindric, never exceeding 1' in length; staminate spike small and usually sessile; perigynium ovoid, very strongly nerved, the nearly entire short beak usually bent; scale thin and pointed, about 1/2 the length of the perigynium.--Moist grassy places; common.--Var. HALEANA, Porter. Habitually lower and more slender; radical leaves very broad (3--4'') and more glaucous; pistillate spikes 1/2' long or less, thinner; perigynium a half smaller, narrower. Wisc. to Va.; infrequent.

61. C. Crawei, Dewey. Low, strict, stoloniferous (4--12' high); leaves narrow; bracts scarcely exceeding the culm; spikes 2--4, scattered, the lowest radical or nearly so, short-peduncled or the upper sessile, erect, compact, 9'' long or less; staminate spike generally peduncled; perigynium ovate, usually resinous dotted, obscurely or few-nerved, very short-pointed, longer than the obtuse or short-pointed scale.--Moist places, N. Y. to Ill. and Minn.; local, especially eastward.

[*] 5.--[+] 2. _Extensae_.

C. EXTENSA, Gooden. Slender but strict, 1--2 deg. high; leaves involute; spikes about 3, the lowest remote and short-peduncled, the remainder approximate and sessile, short (about 1/2' long) and compact; perigynium ovate, very strongly nerved, ascending, the short stout beak sharply toothed, longer than the blunt brown-edged scale.--Long Island and Coney Island, N. Y.; Norfolk, Va., _McMinn._ (Nat. from Eu.)

62. C. flava, L. Very slender but strict and stiff, 1--2 deg. high, yellowish throughout; leaves flat but narrow, mostly shorter than the culm; staminate spike sessile or nearly so, usually oblique; pistillate spikes 2--4, all contiguous or rarely the lowest one remote, all but the lowest sessile, short-oblong or globular, densely flowered, the lowest subtended by a long divaricate bract; perigynium ovate, produced into a deflexed beak as long as the body, strongly nerved, thrice longer than the blunt scale.--Swales and wet meadows, N. Eng. to L. Superior; rare westward. (Eu.)--Var. GRAMINIS, Bailey. Smaller and green, 6--12' high; leaves mostly longer than the culm; bracts erect; perigynium straight or nearly so, the beak often rough. Grassy places, probably common and generally distributed.

Var. viridula, Bailey. Small and slender, very strict, green or greenish-white; leaves narrow, equalling or exceeding the culm; bracts long and strictly erect, spikes very small or sometimes becoming cylindric, more closely aggregated; perigynium conspicuously smaller, the beak very short and straight. (C. OEderi, last ed.)--Cold bogs, N. Eng. to Penn., and northwestward; local.

[*] 5.--[+] 3. _Pallescentes_.

[++] _Perigynium wholly beakless._

63. C. pallescens, L. Slender, erect, 4'--2 deg. high, tufted; leaves narrow, flat, the lower slightly pubescent, particularly on the sheaths; spikes 2--4, 1/2' long or less, densely flowered, all but the upper one very shortly peduncled, erect or spreading; perigynium globular-oblong, thin and very nearly nerveless, about the length of the cuspidate scale.--Glades and meadows, N. Eng. to Penn., Wisc. and L. Superior; rare westward. (Eu.)

[++][++] _Perigynium very stout-beaked._

64. C. Torreyi, Tuckerm. Stiff, 1--11/2 deg. high; culm and leaves thinly pubescent; spikes all sessile, very short; perigynium obovate, very strongly many-nerved, retuse, the beak short and straight, equalling or exceeding the mostly cuspidate scale.--Supposed to have been collected, a half-century ago, in N. Y. by Torrey, and in Penn. by Schweinitz. It occurs in the Rocky Mountain region, and high northward.

[*] 6. DACTYLOSTACHYAE.--[+] 1. _Oligocarpae_.

[++] _Sheaths smooth._

65. C. conoidea, Schkuhr. Slender but strict, 1--11/2 deg. high; staminate spike long-peduncled or rarely nearly sessile; spikes 2--3, scattered, short-stalked or the upper one sessile (the lowest frequently very long-stalked), oblong (rarely 1' long) and rather loosely flowered, erect; perigynium oblong-conical, impressed-nerved, gradually narrowed to a point, the orifice entire; scale loosely spreading and rough-awned, equalling or exceeding the perigynium.--Moist grassy places, N. Eng. to Ill., and southward; rare westward.

66. C. oligocarpa, Schkuhr. Diffuse, 10--18' high; bracts flat and spreading; staminate spike sessile or stalked; spikes 2--4, scattered, stalked or the uppermost sessile, loosely 2--8-flowered, erect; perigynium small, hard, finely impressed-nerved, abruptly contracted into a conspicuous mostly oblique beak, the orifice entire; scale very loosely spreading and rough-awned, longer than the perigynium.--Dry woods and copses, W. New Eng. to Mo., and southward; rare westward. Often confounded with small forms of n. 58.

[++][++] _Sheaths pubescent._

67. C. Hitchcockiana, Dewey. Erect, 11/2--2 deg. high; spikes 2--4, all more or less peduncled, very loosely few-flowered, erect; perigynium triangular-ovate, many-striate, the strong beak prominently oblique, shorter than the rough-awned scale.--Rich woods, W. New Eng. to Ill., and southward to Penn. and Ky.; frequent.

[*] 6.--[+] 2. _Laxiflorae_.

[++] _Sheaths green._

[=] _Perigynium mostly obscurely triangular, the beak very prominent._

68. C. laxiflora, Lam. Slender but mostly erect, 1--2 deg. high; leaves rarely over 2'' wide, rather soft; staminate spike peduncled or at least conspicuous; pistillate spikes 2--4, scattered, peduncled or the upper one sessile, loosely flowered, cylindric or sometimes reduced to short-oblong, erect or the lower loosely spreading; perigynium obovate, conspicuously nerved, the short entire beak much bent or recurved; scale thin and white, blunt or cuspidate, mostly shorter than the perigynium.--Grassy places, throughout; common. Exceedingly variable.--Var. VARIANS, Bailey. Mostly stouter than the type, the leaves broader; pistillate spikes 1/2--1' long, the two upper more or less contiguous to the staminate spike and sessile or nearly so; bracts leafy and prolonged.--Copses and grassy places, throughout; common. Counterfeits var. patulifolia.--Var. STRIATULA, Carey. Diffuse; pistillate spikes rarely over 1/2' long, the upper sessile and aggregated about the inconspicuous staminate spike, the lowest usually long-exserted. Grassy places, throughout; very common.--Var. LATIFOLIA, Boott. Rather low; leaves 1/2' broad or more; staminate spike sessile or very nearly so; pistillate spikes cylindric and loose, the upper one or two contiguous; bracts very broad. Deep rich woods, E. Mass. (_Deane_) to Penn. and Mich.; common westward.--Var. PATULIFOLIA, Carey. Glaucous; leaves 3'' broad or more; staminate spike prominent, mostly stalked; pistillate spikes long and alternately flowered, scattered and peduncled; perigynium (as in the following varieties) elliptic, attenuate at both ends, mostly less prominently nerved, and the beak not strongly recurved. Open places, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward; frequent.--Var. DIVARICATA, Bailey. Tall and stout; leaves narrower; staminate spike large and stalked; pistillate spikes scattered, all but the upper one prominently peduncled, long; perigynium very large, divaricate, triangular, contracted into a stipe-like base at least half as long as the body. Near Washington, _Vasey_.--Var. STYLOFLEXA, Boott. Very weak and slender; leaves 2'' wide or less; staminate spike usually peduncled; pistillate 2--3, scattered, few-flowered, lowest drooping; perigynium very long-pointed. S. E. Penn., and southward; frequent.

[=][=] _Perigynium sharply triangular, short, and mostly not prominently beaked._

[a.] _Spikes drooping or flexuose._

69. C. digitalis, Willd. Very slender, bright green, tufted, 6--18' high; leaves very narrow (1--2'' wide); staminate spike short stalked; pistillate spikes 2--4, all on filiform stalks and all but the upper widely spreading or drooping, linear, alternately flowered; perigynium very small, impressed-nerved, longer than the acute whitish scale.--Dryish woods and glades, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward; frequent.--Var. COPULATA, Bailey. Leaves much broader, and the culms weak and reclined; spikes heavier and mostly shorter; perigynium larger, very sharp. Rich woods, central Mich., and probably elsewhere westward.

70. C. laxiculmis, Schwein. Differs from the variety of n. 69 chiefly in its more cespitose habit, its densely glaucous-blue covering, very slender culm, and very long and filiform peduncles. (C. retrocurva, _Dewey_.)--Glades, N. Eng. to Mich. and Va.; rare westward.

[b.] _Spikes erect._

71. C. ptychocarpa, Steudel. Low, glaucous, 3--10' high; leaves flat and rather broad (2'' or more), much exceeding the culm; bracts leafy and much prolonged; staminate spike very small and sessile, mostly overtopped by the upper pistillate spike; pistillate spikes 2--3, sessile or short-stalked or rarely the lowest long-peduncled, erect; perigynium tawny, much as in n. 69, twice longer than the very thin obtuse scale.--Low grounds or swamps, E. Mass., N. J., Del., and southward; local.

72. C. platyphylla, Carey. Low, spreading, glaucous, 6--12' high; leaves 1/2' broad or more, mostly shorter than the culms; bracts with thin and sharp-pointed leaf-like tips 1--2' long; staminate spike stalked; pistillate spikes 2--3, scattered, all more or less peduncled, alternately 2--10-flowered; perigynium short, strongly many-striate, about the length of the acute or cuspidate scale.--Rich shady woods and banks, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward to Va.; mostly local.

73. C. Careyana, Torr. Tall and slender, mostly erect, 1--2 deg. high; leaves bright green, firm, 3--4'' wide or more, shorter than the long culm; bracts leafy, longer than in the last; staminate spike heavy and stalked; pistillate spikes 2--3 (mostly 2), the upper usually near the terminal spike, and nearly sessile, the other remote and long-peduncled, loosely 2--8-flowered; perigynium very large and very sharply angled, the beak oblique, finely many-nerved, twice longer than the sharp scale.--Rich woods, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward to Washington; rare.

[++][++] _Sheaths usually purple._

74. C. plantaginea, Lam. Slender but erect, 1--2 deg. high; leaves 1/2--1' broad, very firm, appearing after the flowers and persisting over winter, shorter than the culm; staminate spike purple and clavate, stalked; pistillate spikes 3--4, scattered, loosely few-flowered, erect, the peduncles included in the leafless sheaths; perigynium smaller than in n. 73, prominently beaked, about as long as the sharp scale.--Rich woods, N. Eng. to Wisc., and southward; local.

[*] 6.--[+] 3. _Paniceae_.

[++] _Beak cylindrical and prominent; plant not glaucous._

75. C. Saltuensis, Bailey. Very slender and more or less diffuse, strongly stoloniferous, 1--11/2 deg. high; leaves narrow and soft, shorter than the culm; spikes 2--3, scattered, all peduncled and more or less spreading, loosely 3--10-flowered; perigynium small, nearly nerveless, thin, the beak straight and sharply toothed; scale loose, acute, shorter than the perigynium. (C. vaginata, last ed.)--Deep swamps, Vt. to Minn.; local.

76. C. polymorpha, Muhl. Stout, 1--2 deg. high; leaves rather broad, short; spikes 1--2, short-stalked, erect, compact or rarely loose, usually staminate at the apex, 11/2' long or less; perigynium long-ovate, obscurely nerved; the very long and nearly straight beak oblique or lipped at the orifice; scale reddish-brown, obtuse, shorter than the perigynium.--Moist meadows, Mass. to N. C.; local.

[++][++] _Beak short or none; plant often glaucous._

[=] _Plants of ordinary habit._

77. C. tetanica, Schkuhr. Rather slender, rarely glaucous, somewhat stoloniferous; culm scabrous, at least above; spikes all peduncled, the upper one very shortly so, pale, all more or less attenuate below, the lower borne in the axils of bracts 3' long or more; perigynium not turgid, greenish, prominently many-nerved, the beak strongly bent; scale obtuse or abruptly mucronate, all except the lowest mostly shorter than the perigynium.--Meadows and borders of ponds from W. Mass. westward; common westward.--Var. WOODII, Bailey. Very slender and strongly stoloniferous; leaves narrow, very long and lax; spikes mostly alternately flowered throughout; scales often sharper. (C. Woodii, _Dewey_.) Rich woods, N. Y. to Mich., and south to Washington; frequent.--Var. MEADII, Bailey. Stiffer; leaves mostly broader and stricter; spikes thick and densely flowered, not attenuate at base, the upper one often sessile; perigynium larger. (C. Meadii, _Dewey_.) R. I. to Neb., and southward; rare eastward.--Var. CANBYI, Porter. Stout and stiff; leaves still broader (about 2'' wide) and flat; spikes thick, often 1/4' wide; perigynium long, straight or very nearly so; scale large, nearly equalling or exceeding the perigynium. E. Penn. (_Canby_); Ill. and Wisc.; little known.

[C.] PANICEA, L. Strict, often stiff, glaucous-blue 1--2 deg. high; culm smooth; bracts 1--2' long; spikes 1--3, scattered, colored, peduncled, erect, rather compact or loose below, seldom 1' long; perigynium ovoid, yellow or purple, somewhat turgid, scarcely nerved, the point usually curved, mostly longer than the purple-margined scale.--Fields, E. Mass. and R. I. (Nat. from Eu.)

[=][=] _Very strict, densely glaucous._

78. C. livida, Willd. Culms 18' high or less; leaves narrow, often becoming involute; spikes 1 or 2 and aggregated or approximate, or rarely a third nearly radical, sessile or nearly so, erect, narrow; perigynium ovoid-oblong, nerved, granular, beakless, the point straight or nearly so, orifice entire; scale obtuse, mostly a little shorter than the perigynium.--Pine-barrens of N. J., and sphagnum swamps northward to N. Eng. and L. Superior; local. (Eu.)

[*] 6.--[+] 4. _Bicolores_.

79. C. aurea, Nutt. Low and slender, 1 deg. high or less; bracts exceeding the culm; spikes 2--4, all but the lowest usually approximate, peduncled or the upper one or two sessile, erect, loosely few-flowered or sometimes becoming 3/4' long, at maturity yellow or brown, the terminal one frequently pistillate above; perigynium fleshy at maturity, nerved, longer than the blunt scale.--Wet meadows and springy banks, throughout; rather common.

[*] 6.--[+] 5. _Digitatae_.

[++] _Spikes two or more._

80. C. eburnea, Boott. Exceedingly slender and capillary, erect, 4--12' high, stoloniferous; leaves shorter than the culm; staminate spike very small and very short-peduncled, overtopped by the two upper pistillate spikes; pistillate spikes 2--4, approximate or the lowest remote, all stalked, erect, 2--6-flowered; perigynium very small, almost nerveless, smooth and becoming black and shining at full maturity; scale white and thin, obtuse, shorter than the perigynium.--Tufted in sandy or light soils from N. Eng. to Ky. and Neb.; frequent.

81. C. Richardsoni, R. Br. Rather stiff, 4--9' high, stoloniferous; sheaths short, purple or brown; staminate spike stout and mostly short-peduncled; pistillate spikes 1--2, approximate, the very short stalks included, erect, compact, less than 1/2' in length; perigynium obovoid, firm, hairy, the very short beak entire or erose; scale brown with a conspicuous white-hyaline margin, obtuse or pointless, and longer than the perigynium.--Dry ground, western N. Y. to Ill., and northwestward; rare.