The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Part 190

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

53. C. venusta, Dewey, var. mnor, Boeckl. Slender but strict, 1--2 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--1 high; leaves very narrow, flat, shorter than the culm, the sheaths p.u.b.escent; 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. Ma.s.s., and southward in the mountains to N. C.; rare.

55. C. gracillima, Schwein. Tall and slender, sometimes diffuse, 1--3 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 HIRSuTA, Bailey. In habit like var. humilis; spikes tawny; perigynium like that of C. triceps, var. hirsuta; plant smooth, or very minutely p.u.b.escent under a strong lens.--Philipstown, N. Y.

(_Barratt_).

C. GRACiLLIMA p.u.b.eSCENS, 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, spa.r.s.ely 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. formsa, Dewey. Slender, erect, 1--2 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. Ma.s.s. to S. Minn., and southward; rare east and northward.

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

58. C. grisea, Wahl. Stout, 1--2 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. ANGUSTIFLIA, 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. GLOBSA, 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, Ma.s.s. to S. Ill., and southward; local.

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

60. C. granularis, Muhl. Erect or spreading, 8'--2 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 the length of the perigynium.--Moist gra.s.sy places; common.--Var. HALEaNA, Porter. Habitually lower and more slender; radical leaves very broad (3--4") and more glaucous; pistillate spikes ' 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 high; leaves involute; spikes about 3, the lowest remote and short-peduncled, the remainder approximate and sessile, short (about ' 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 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. Gra.s.sy 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. deri, 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 high, tufted; leaves narrow, flat, the lower slightly p.u.b.escent, particularly on the sheaths; spikes 2--4, ' 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--1 high; culm and leaves thinly p.u.b.escent; 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--1 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 gra.s.sy 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 p.u.b.escent._

67. C. Hitchc.o.c.kiana, Dewey. Erect, 1--2 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. _Laxiflrae_.

[++] _Sheaths green._

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

68. C. laxiflra, Lam. Slender but mostly erect, 1--2 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.--Gra.s.sy places, throughout; common. Exceedingly variable.--Var. VaRIANS, Bailey. Mostly stouter than the type, the leaves broader; pistillate spikes --1' long, the two upper more or less contiguous to the staminate spike and sessile or nearly so; bracts leafy and prolonged.--Copses and gra.s.sy places, throughout; common.

Counterfeits var. patulifolia.--Var. STRIaTULA, Carey. Diffuse; pistillate spikes rarely over ' long, the upper sessile and aggregated about the inconspicuous staminate spike, the lowest usually long-exserted. Gra.s.sy places, throughout; very common.--Var. LATIFLIA, Boott. Rather low; leaves ' 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. Ma.s.s. (_Deane_) to Penn. and Mich.; common westward.--Var. PATULIFLIA, 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. Ma.s.s., N. J., Del., and southward; local.

72. C. platyphlla, Carey. Low, spreading, glaucous, 6--12' high; leaves ' 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 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.