lax; pistillate spikes 3--4, scattered, all but the uppermost
prominently peduncled; staminate spike short-peduncled; perigynium
larger, inflated, the scale awned and nearly as long.--Cold swamps, New
Eng. to N. J. and Penn., and west to Mich.; rather local.
[=][=] _Plant green; perigynium much inflated._
5. C. intumescens, Rudge. Slender, 18--30' high; leaves narrow,
pistillate spikes two, loosely 1--8-flowered, the perigynium
erect-spreading, not prominently many-nerved.--Wet pastures and swamps;
common.
6. C. Grayii, Carey. Larger and stouter; leaves broad and flat, 3--4''
wide; pistillate spikes 1 or 2, the lowest often peduncled, perfectly
globular and compactly 12--30-flowered, the perigynium spreading or
deflexed and prominently many-nerved.--Meadows and copses, Vt. to Ill.,
and south to Ga.; rare eastward.--In var. HISPIDULA, Gray, the
perigynium is sparsely hispidulous.
7. C. lupulina, Muhl. Very stout and leafy; leaves rather broad and
loose; pistillate spikes 2--6, approximate at the top of the culm, all
closely sessile or the lower sometimes short-peduncled, oblong or
short-cylindrical, very heavy and densely flowered; staminate spike
small and sessile; perigynium large and rather soft, erect or but
slightly spreading, giving the spike a hop-like aspect (whence the
name). (C. lurida, _Bailey_.)--Swamps and wet pastures; frequent.
Var. pedunculata, Dewey. Spikes more or less scattered, some or all
prominently peduncled; staminate spike usually conspicuous, often
long-peduncled, very variable in size; perigynium more spreading. (C.
gigantea, _Rudge_.)--With the species, but more common.
Var. polystachya, Schwein. & Torr. Stouter, the leaves very broad (often
{1/2}'); bracts broad and far exceeding the culm; pistillate spikes
4--6, all long (3--4') and cylindrical, more or less short-peduncled,
somewhat scattered, becoming yellow; perigynium very large, ascending.
(C. lupuliformis, _Sartw._)--N. Y. and N. J.; not common.
C. LUPULINA x RETRORSA, Dudley. Distinguished from C. lupulina by its
straw-colored perigynium, which is less inflated and more spreading,
standing at nearly right angles to the axis of the spike; scales acute
to short-awned, rough. (C. lurida x retrorsa, _Bailey_).--Ithaca, N. Y.
(_Dudley_), and Lansing, Mich. (_Bailey_). Resembles n. 16.
8. C. grandis, Bailey. Distinguished from C. lupulina, var. polystachya,
by its much more scattered and mostly shorter slim spikes, which are
comparatively loosely flowered; perigynium swollen below but very
abruptly contracted into a slender beak 3--4 times as long as the body,
spreading at right angles or nearly so, never becoming yellow; scales
narrow, smooth. (C. gigantea of previous editions.)--Swamps, Ky., Del.,
and southward; local.
[*] 1.--[+] 3. _Vesicariae_.
[++] _Spikes very small, globular or short-oblong._
9. C. oligosperma, Michx. Very slender, but stiff, 18--30' high; leaves
and bracts very narrow, becoming involute; staminate spike single,
peduncled; pistillate spikes 1 or 2, sessile or the lowest very
short-peduncled, 3--8-flowered; perigynium turgid, short-ovoid,
gradually contracted into a very short and minutely toothed beak,
prominently few-nerved, yellow, nearly twice longer than the blunt
scale.--Deep swamps and borders of lakes, N. Eng. to Penn. and Minn.;
frequent.
10. C. miliaris, Michx. Culm very slender but erect, 12--18' high,
smooth, or slightly rough above on the angles; leaves almost filiform,
mostly shorter than the culm; staminate spikes 1--2, exceedingly narrow,
elevated an inch or two; pistillate spikes 1--3, the upper one sessile
and the lowest very short stalked, 9'' long or less, the lower subtended
by a short leafy bract; perigynium very small, broad or round-ovate or
ovate-oblong, thin but firm, bearing a nerve on each side but otherwise
nerveless or very nearly so, rounded into a very short terete entire or
somewhat erose beak; scales brown, lance-ovate, white tipped, about as
long as the perigynium. (C. rotundata? of last ed.)--Outlet of Moosehead
Lake, Maine, and northward.
Var. major, Bailey. Culm much stouter (often over 2 deg. high), thick and
very sharply angled; leaves stout and channelled or involute; staminate
spikes short-stalked; the pistillate 1--5, darker, mostly longer and
larger; scale varying from wholly obtuse to acutish.--Outlet of
Moosehead Lake (_Porter_), and northward.
Var. (?) aurea, Bailey. Taller and mostly stouter than the type;
pistillate spikes one or two, often staminate at top, yellow or
stramineous; perigynium longer, gradually produced into a conspicuous
and more or less toothed beak, prominently few-nerved, yellow, broader
and usually longer than the blunt scale. (C. pulla, and var. miliaris,
last ed.)--Outlet of Moosehead Lake (_Smith_), and northward.
[++][++] _Spikes much larger, cylindrical._
[=] _Scales all, or all but the very lowest, smooth._
11. C. utriculata, Boott. Very stout and robust, 3--4 deg. high; leaves
broad (4--6'') and flat, very prominently nodulose, particularly below;
spikes 3--4, 3--6' long, very thick and dense above but usually more or
less attenuate below, erect or nearly so, all but the lowest sessile or
very short-stalked; perigynium ovate, only moderately inflated, rather
abruptly contracted into a short toothed beak, at maturity usually
squarrose, rather prominently few-nerved, the upper longer than the
sharp scale, the lower shorter than or only equalling the sharper or
awned scale. (C. rostrata, _Bailey_, etc.)--Swamps, everywhere; common.
Passes imperceptibly into var. MINOR, Boott, which is distinguished by
its much smaller size, spikes 21/2' long or less, smaller perigynium,
blunt scales, and narrower and little nodulose leaves. With the type.
12. C. monile, Tuckerm. Rather slender but erect, 2--3 deg. high, the culm
sharply angled and usually rough above; pistillate spikes 2--3, the
lowest one or two short-stalked, erect or spreading, 1--3' long,
narrowly cylindrical; perigynium turgid, prominently beaked, about
10-nerved, ascending, longer than the very sharp scale. (C. Vaseyi,
_Dewey_.)--Meadows and swales; common.--In var. MONSTROSA, Bailey, the
plant is very slender throughout, and the terminal spike more or less
pistillate, while the remaining spikes are reduced to one or two which
are very small and loosely flowered and usually on very long filiform
peduncles. E. Mass. (_Swan_).
13. C. Tuckermani, Dewey. Differs from the last chiefly in the
comparatively shorter (1--2' long) spikes, which are much thicker
(usually 1/2' or more); perigynium greatly inflated and very thin and
papery, the body broader than long (about 3'' thick); scale thin and
narrow, acute, all but the very lowest less than half the length of the
perigynium.--Swamps, W. New Eng. to N. J., and west to Minn.; frequent.
14. C. bullata, Schkuhr. (Pl. 6, fig. 15--20.) Slender, 1--2 deg. high; culm
very sharply and roughly angled, thin but stiff; leaves narrow,
rough-edged, stiff; spikes 1 or 2, remote, short and thick (rarely 11/2'
long), sessile or the lower short-peduncled, more or less spreading;
perigynium turgid but very firm, dull straw colored and shining as if
varnished, prominently few-nerved, the long beak usually minutely
roughened; scale membranaceous and blunt, about {1/3} as long as the
perigynium.--Swamps from E. Mass, to N. J. and E. Penn., and southward;
frequent.
C. BULLATA x UTRICULATA, Bailey. Perigynium considerably smaller and
more spreading, less shining; scales longer and sharper. (C. Olneyi,
_Boott_.)--Providence, R. I. (_Olney_).
15. C. retrorsa, Schwein. Stout, 2--3 deg. high; culm obtusely angled and
smooth or nearly so; leaves broad and soft, roughish, much longer than
the culm; spikes 3--5, approximate near the top of the culm or the
lowest remote, all but the lowest 1 or 2 sessile, 1--2' long and very
compactly flowered, erect or spreading; perigynium very thin and papery,
much inflated, prominently nerved, strongly reflexed; scale very short
and small.--Swamps, from Penn. northward; common.--In var. HARTH, Gray,
a common monstrous form, the spikes are more or less scattered and
peduncled, loosely flowered, and the perigynium less reflexed or
spreading.
[=][=] _Scales all rough-awned._
16. C. lurida, Wahl. Variable in size, mostly ranging from 11/2--3 deg. high,
stout; culm rather obtusely angled and smooth; leaves long and loose,
rough; spikes 2--4, variously disposed, the 1 or 2 upper sessile, nearly
erect or often drooping, very densely flowered; perigynium thin and
turgid, often somewhat shining, rather lightly about 10-nerved, very
long and slenderly beaked, ascending; staminate spike single, scales
linear, half as long as the perigynium or more. (C. tentaculata,
_Muhl._)--Swamps, N. Eng. to S. Ill., and southward; abundant eastward.
Very variable.--Var. GRACILIS, Bailey. Plant more slender; spikes 2--3,
very small and narrowly cylindrical (1' long or less, and 3'' broad or
less). Mts. of Vt., Penn., and Tenn.
Var. flaccida, Bailey. Lower, scarcely exceeding 12--15' in height;
spikes 2--4, all sessile and approximate at the top of the culm, small
and straight (1' long or less), dull brown or reddish-brown, loosely
flowered and entirely lacking the dense and comose appearance of the
type; perigynium very thin and much inflated, the body usually larger
than in the type and more gradually contracted into the beak.--N. Y. to
N. J.; apparently scarce.
C. LURIDA x LUPULINA, Bailey. Very like C. lurida, but the spikes
usually all approximate or only the lowest separated, erect or
spreading, all sessile, green or greenish, often curved; perigynium very
long-beaked and ascending; staminate spike one, sessile or very nearly
so, strongly resembling that of C. lupulina. (C. tentaculata, var.
altior, _Boott_.)--Mass., Conn., and N. Y.; little known. C. lupulina x
retrorsa is distinguished from this by its yellow or straw-colored more
scattered spikes which are shorter and always straight, and the loose,
larger and more inflated perigynia.
[*] 1.--[+] 4. _Pseudocyperae._
[++] _Spikes all erect or ascending._
17. C. Schweinitzii, Dewey. Soft but erect, 1--2 deg. high, stoloniferous,
yellowish-green and becoming straw-colored in drying; culm flattish and
smooth; leaves broad (3--4''), the radical longer than the culm, the
others mostly short; spikes 3--4, the lower one or two short-peduncled,
narrowly long-cylindrical (11/2--3' long, 4'' broad); perigynium thin and
somewhat inflated, prominently few-nerved, the long beak short-toothed,
ascending; scale awned and commonly rough at the tip, a little shorter
than the perigynium.--Swamps, W. New Eng. to N. J., and west to Mich.;
local.
[++][++] _Spikes widely spreading or drooping._
18. C. hystricina, Muhl. Slender but erect, 1--2 deg. high; culm very
sharply angled and rough, at least above; leaves rather narrow,
roughish; spikes 1--3, borne near the top of the culm, the upper one
often sessile, the remainder on more or less filiform stalks, short
(rarely 11/2' long) and compactly flowered; perigynium greenish, very
strongly 15--20-nerved, the very slender beak strongly toothed;
scale linear and rough-awned, nearly or quite as long as the
perigynium.--Swales, throughout; frequent. Often confounded with n. 16.
Var. Dudleyi, Bailey. Taller; spikes larger and slimmer (11/2--21/2' long),
light straw-colored, all secund and widely divaricate or nodding;
perigynium stronger toothed; scales usually more prominent.--Swales,
Conn. (_Wright_), Ithaca, N. Y. (_Dudley_), Wisc. (_Lapham_).
19. C. Pseudo-Cyperus, L. Tall and stout, 2--3 deg. high; culm thick and
very sharply triangular, rough throughout; leaves very long,
rough-margined; spikes 3--5, all slenderly peduncled and more or less
drooping, all somewhat contiguous, long (mostly 2--3') and narrowly
cylindrical, very compactly flowered; perigynium elliptic-lanceolate,
more or less 2-edged, many-costate, the beak shorter than the body, with
erect short teeth, strongly reflexed; scale very rough-awned, about the
length of the perigynium.--Swamps and lake-borders, N. Eng. to Penn.,
and Mich.; rare. (Eu.)
Var. Americana, Hochst. Mostly stouter, the leaves broader (about 1/4');
spikes thicker and commonly more drooping; perigynium longer, the beak
mostly longer than the body and the teeth long and prominently
spreading. (C. comosa, _Boott_.)--Swamps; common.
[*] 1.--[+] 5. _Squarrosae._
20. C. stenolepis, Torr. Stout and very leafy, 1--2 deg. high; culm obtusely
angled, very smooth; leaves about 3'' broad, rough on the nerves, the
upper and the bracts very much longer than the culm; terminal spike
often pistillate at top; other spikes 3--5, the uppermost sessile on the
zigzag rhachis, short (1--11/2' or less) and evenly cylindrical, often
staminate at top; perigynium very abruptly contracted into a short but
slender toothed beak, shorter than the long-linear and rough
scale.--Swamps and meadows, central Penn., to N. Ohio, west and
southward; frequent.
21. C. squarrosa, L. Cespitose, 2--3 deg. high; culm sharply angled, more or
less rough above; leaves broad and weak, roughish, exceeding the culm;
bracts much less prominent than in the last; spikes 1--3, thick, the
terminal always two-thirds pistillate or more, the remainder more or
less stalked, erect or slightly nodding, globular or oblong-cylindric,
brown, exceedingly densely flowered; perigynium larger, the beak rough;
scale short and usually invisible.--Bogs, throughout; infrequent.
[*] 2. TRACHYCHLAENAE.--[+] 1. _Shortianae._
22. C. Shortiana, Dewey. Tall and slender but strict, in small clumps,
2--3 deg. high; leaves about 1/4' broad, flat, rough on the nerves; spikes
3--5, somewhat approximate near the top of the culm, the lowest 2 or 3
short-peduncled, erect, small (1' long or less, and 2'' wide), evenly
cylindrical, exceedingly densely flowered; perigynium small, circular or
round-ovate, flat, sharp-edged, nerveless, the orifice entire, perfectly
squarrose; scale thin and blunt, about the length of the
perigynium.--Wet meadows, S. Penn. and Va. to Ill.; rare eastward.
[*] 2.--[+] 2. _Anomalae._
23. C. scabrata, Schwein. Tall and rather stout, very leafy, 1--3 deg. high,
culm sharply and very roughly angled; leaves broad and flat, very rough;
spikes 3--5, scattered, the upper 1 or 2 sessile, the remainder often
long-peduncled and sometimes nodding, 1--2' long, narrowly cylindrical
and compactly flowered; perigynium broadly ovate, prominently
few-nerved, rough, the beak nearly as long as the body and slightly
toothed; scale acute and rough-tipped, green-nerved, about as long as
the body of the perigynium.--Wet meadows and glades, as far west as
Mich.; common eastward.
[*] 2.--[+] 3. _Hirtae._
24. C. vestita, Willd. Stout and stiff, 2--3 deg. high; culm sharply angled,
smooth or somewhat rough; leaves narrow and rather short, roughish;
staminate spike 1, rarely 2, sessile or nearly so; pistillate spikes
2--5, approximate and sessile, or rarely the lowest sub-radical, often
staminate at top, oblong or short-cylindric (rarely 1' long), compactly
flowered; perigynium ovate, nerved, stiffly hairy, short-beaked, the
beak often purple, and white-hyaline at the orifice, which becomes more
or less split with age; scale thin and blunt or acute, shorter than the
perigynium.--Tufted in sandy soils, from N. Eng. to N. Y., and
southward; frequent.
25. C. striata, Michx., var. brevis, Bailey. Stiff, 1{1/2}--2{1/2} deg.
high; culm sharply angled, smooth or slightly rough above, mostly
exceeding the leaves; leaves narrow and stiff, becoming involute; spikes
1--2, mostly closely sessile, considerably separated when two, short
(rarely 1{1/2}' long) and rather thick, erect; perigynium broad-ovate
with impressed nerves, smooth, ascending, short-beaked and very
short-toothed; scale thin, obtuse or acutish, mostly about {1/2} as long
as the perigynium.--Pine-barren swamps, N. J., and southward; local.
26. C. Houghtonii, Torr. Stiff, 1--2 deg. high, extensively creeping; culm
rather sharply angled, rough, exceeding the leaves; leaves flat and very
sharp-pointed; spikes 1--3, sessile or the lowest short-stalked, erect,
varying from nearly globular to cylindric (1{1/2}' long), compact;
perigynium short-ovate, stiffly pubescent, prominently nerved and
toothed; scale thin-margined, acute or awned, shorter than the
perigynium.--Sandy knolls and banks from Maine to Minn. along our
northern borders, and northwestward; rather local.
27. C. filiformis, L. Tall and very slender but erect, 2--3 deg. high; culm
obtuse, smooth; leaves very long, involute-filiform, rough; spikes 1--3,
sessile, somewhat scattered, erect, short and thick (rarely over 1'
long); perigynium very short-ovate, the teeth very short, the few nerves
obscured by the dense stiff hairs; scale thin and blunt, about as long
as the perigynium.--Bogs, throughout, north of Penn.; frequent. (Eu.)
Var. latifolia, Boeckl. Culm mostly rough above; leaves flat, 1--2''
broad; spikes usually somewhat slimmer and scales often sharper and
longer. (C. lanuginosa, _Michx._)--Swales and low meadows, throughout;
common.
C. HIRTA, L. Variable in size ({1/2}--2 deg. high), widely creeping; culm
rather slender but erect, obtuse and smooth or slightly rough above;
leaves soft and flat, generally sparsely hairy and the sheaths very
hirsute, rarely smooth; spikes 2--3, distant, more or less
shortly-peduncled, erect or nearly so, 11/2' long or less and rather
loose; perigynium long-ovate, nerved, soft-hairy, the prominent beak
slenderly toothed; scale thin and green-nerved, awned, mostly a little
shorter.--E. Mass. to central N. Y. and Penn. (Nat. from Eu.)
[*] 2.--[+] 4. _Paludosae._
[++] _Teeth slender, mostly spreading._
28. C. trichocarpa, Muhl. Stout and tall, 2--3 deg. high; culm sharply
angled, rough above; leaves very numerous, flat and very rough, but not
hairy, much exceeding the culm; spikes 2--5, scattered, the lower
stalked and more or less spreading, long and heavy (1--4') but loosely
flowered at base; perigynium long-ovate, many-costate, sparsely
short-hairy, about twice as long as the membranaceous, acute or
acuminate scale.--Marshes; frequent.--Var. IMBERBIS, Gray. Mostly
smaller throughout; perigynium smooth; scales usually sharper and
longer. Drier places, N. Y. to Mo.; infrequent.
Var. Deweyi, Bailey. Leaves narrower, often becoming somewhat involute,
smoother; spikes short (seldom over 11/2' long), all but the lowest one
sessile; perigynium smooth, thick in texture, becoming polished with
age, the nerves impressed; scales sharp, mostly a little shorter than
the perigynium.--Dakota (_Seymour_), and northwestward. Resembles small
forms of n. 29.
Var. aristata, Bailey. Mostly stouter; leaves more or less hairy on the
under surface and sheaths; perigynium usually longer, smooth, the teeth
longer and more spreading. (C. aristata, _R. Br._)--N. Eng. to Minn.;
rare eastward.
[++][++] _Teeth short, erect or very nearly so._
29. C. riparia, W. Curtis. Very large and stout, 2--4 deg. high,
stoloniferous; leaves mostly broad, flat, rough, glaucous, much longer
than the sharply angled culm; spikes 2--4, scattered and all more or
less peduncled, the lowest often very long-stalked, varying from almost
globular in starved plants to 3--4' long, erect or the lower somewhat
drooping, loosely flowered below; perigynium ovate-lanceolate,
coriaceous, rather lightly many-nerved, becoming polished, the beak
short and thick; scale varying from blunt to awned, shorter or longer
than the perigynium.--Swales; common. (Eu.)
C. ACUTIFORMIS, Ehrh. Stout, 2--3 deg. high; culm thick and sharp, mostly
smooth; leaves broad, flat and glaucous, much prolonged; spikes 3--5,
all but the uppermost peduncled, spreading or drooping, narrowly
cylindric (2--3' long), loosely flowered below; perigynium ovate, very
strongly many-nerved, the short beak slightly toothed; scale rough-awned
and longer than the perigynium. (C. paludosa, _Gooden_.)--Swales,
Dorchester, and New Bedford, Mass. (Nat. from Eu.) The former station
has been recently destroyed.
[*] 3. MICRORHYNCHAE.--[+] 1. _Atratae._
[++] _Alpine; plant small._
30. C. alpina, Swartz. Small and slender, 1/2--2 deg. high; culm thin and
obtuse, smooth or roughish, naked above; leaves narrow and flat, shorter
than the culm; spikes commonly 3, sometimes 2 or 4, aggregated, globular
and very small, all closely sessile or rarely the lowest exceedingly
short-stalked; perigynium orbicular or obovate, nerveless or nearly so,
the short beak slightly notched, a little longer than the ovate and
black mostly obtuse scale.--Isle Royale, L. Superior. (Eu.)
31. C. atrata, L., var. ovata, Boott. Very slender but erect, 1--2 deg.
high; culm rather sharp, roughish above; leaves narrow but flat, shorter
than the culm; spikes 3--5, all but the terminal one on slender stalks
1/2--2' long, drooping when mature, 1' long or less, ovate-oblong or
short-cylindric, reddish-brown; perigynium broadly ovate, thin and
puncticulate, very short-beaked, the orifice slightly notched; scale
blunt, thin-margined, about as long as the perigynium. (C. atrata,
_Man._)--White Mountains, N. H., Smugglers' Notch, Vt. (_Brainerd_), and
northward.
[++][++] _Paludose; plant larger._
32. C. fusca, All. Rather slender but stiff, 1--3 deg. high; culm sharp,
roughish above; leaves very narrow, rough, mostly shorter than the culm;
spikes 2--4, the terminal rarely all staminate, all sessile and
approximate or the lowest sometimes very short-stalked, varying from
globular to narrowly cylindric (often becoming 11/2' long), dark brown or
variegated; perigynium elliptic and beakless, whitish and granular,
nearly nerveless, the orifice entire; staminate scales very
long-lanceolate, the pistillate lance-ovate and very sharp,
conspicuously longer than the perigynium. (C. Buxbaumii, _Wahl._)--Bogs,
throughout; frequent. (Eu.)
[*] 3.--[+] 2. _Rigidae._
33. C. vulgaris, Fries. Low and stiff, about 1 deg. or sometimes 18' high;
culm sharp, smooth or rather rough above; leaves narrow and stiff,
shorter than the culm, glaucous blue; staminate spike sessile or nearly
so; spikes 2--4, all sessile or rarely the lowest very short-stalked,
short and erect (1' long or less), very densely flowered or sometimes
becoming loose below, the lowest subtended by a bract 1--3' long;
perigynium appressed, oval or round-ovate, mostly finely striate toward
the base, the beak entire or very nearly so, bright green until
over-mature; scale ovate and very obtuse, purple with a faint white
nerve, conspicuously narrower and shorter than the perigynium, thus
causing the spike in the growing plant to assume a characteristic
green-and-black appearance.--Swales and low meadows along the sea-board,
from Mass. northward; common. (Eu.)
Var. strictiformis, Bailey. Taller (11/2--21/2 deg. high) and looser; culms
slender; leaves long and narrow, lax, scarcely glaucous; staminate spike
longer peduncled; pistillate spikes looser and often longer, mostly
brown or tawny-green. (C. limula, _Man._)--Swales from E. Penn.
northward, near the seaboard; frequent. Often confounded with n. 34, but
easily distinguished by the non-cespitose habit, sheaths not fibrillose,
and the short scales very obtuse.