than the culm; perigynium ovate, flat on the inner face, lightly nerved,
gradually contracted into a short and entire rough-edged beak, tightly
enclosing the achene, at maturity longer than the hyaline acutish
scale.--Dry grounds, Thayer Co., Neb. (_Bessey_); Emmet Co., Iowa
(_Cratty_), and westward. (Eu).
[*] 11.--[+] 2. _Vulpinae._
[++] _Beak shorter than or about as long as the body of the perigynium._
100. C. conjuncta, Boott. Strict but rather weak, 1{1/2}--3{1/2} deg. high;
culm soft and sharply triangular or nearly wing-angled, becoming
perfectly flat when pressed; leaves soft, about 3'' broad; head 1--3'
long, interrupted, often nearly green, infrequently bearing a few
setaceous bracts; perigynium lance-ovate, light colored, whitish and
thickened below, the beak lightly notched and roughish, about equalling
or a little exceeding the cuspidate scale.--Swales and glades, N. J.,
Ky., and westward; usually rare.
[++][++] _Beak twice the length of the body of the perigynium or
longer._
101. C. stipata, Muhl. Stout, 1--3 deg. high, in clumps; culm rather soft,
very sharp; head 1--3' long, rarely somewhat compound at base,
interrupted, the lowest spikes often {1/2}' long; perigynium lanceolate,
brown-nerved, the beak toothed and roughish, about twice the length of
the body, and much longer than the scale.--Swales; common and variable.
102. C. crus-corvi, Shuttlew. Stout, glaucous, 2--3 deg. high; culm rough,
at least above; leaves flat and very wide; head much branched and
compound, 3--6' long; perigynium long lanceolate, the short base very
thick and disk-like, the roughish and very slender beak thrice the
length of the body or more, 3--4 times the length of the inconspicuous
scale.--Swamps, S. Minn. to Neb. and Ky., and southward; rare
northward.
[*] 11.--[+] 3. _Multiflorae._
[++] _Spikes conspicuously panicled._
103. C. decomposita, Muhl. Stout, exceedingly deep green, 1{1/2}--3 deg.
high, in stools; culm very obtusely angled, almost terete below; leaves
firm, channelled below, longer than the culm; head 2--4' long, the lower
branches ascending and 1--2' long; perigynium very small, round-obovate,
few-nerved, hard and at maturity shining, the abrupt short beak entire
or very nearly so; scale acute, about the length of the
perigynium.--Swamps, N. Y. to Mich., and southward; local.
[++][++] _Spikes in a simple or nearly simple head._
[=] _Leaves very narrow (1'' broad or less), becoming more or less
involute._
104. C. teretiuscula, Gooden. Slender but mostly erect, 1{1/2}--2{1/2} deg.
high, in loose stools; culm rather obtuse, rough at the top, mostly
longer than the leaves; head 1--2' long, compact or somewhat
interrupted, narrow ({1/4}' wide or less); perigynium very small, ovate
and truncate below, bearing a few inconspicuous short nerves on the
outer side, stipitate, firm and at maturity blackish and shining, the
short beak lighter colored; scale chaffy and acute, about the length of
the perigynium.--Swales, N. Eng. to Penn., and westward; common.
(Eu.)--Var. RAMOSA, Boott. More slender; head mostly longer, the upper
portion often somewhat nodding, the spikes scattered and the lowest ones
often slightly compound. N. Y., and westward; common.
[=][=] _Leaves broader and flat (occasionally involute in n. 106)._
[a.] _Scales very sharp, mostly rough-tipped._
1. _Perigynium large (2'' long or more), nerveless on the inner face._
105. C. alopecoidea, Tuckerm. Stout but rather soft, 2--3 deg. high; culm
rather sharp, thick and soft in texture; leaves 2--3'' wide, about the
length of the culm, very green; head 11/2' long or less, sometimes green,
and occasionally a little compound, the spikes many and compactly or
somewhat loosely disposed or the lowest often separate and all mostly
short-oblong; perigynium ovate, tapering into a rough beak, very
prominently stipitate, with a few brown nerves on the outer face,
ascending, about equalling or a little exceeding the scale.--Open
swales, N. Y., Penn., and Mich.; local. In aspect like n. 101.
Var. sparsispicata, Dewey. Weak, the leaves much narrower and lax; head
1--3' long and linear or nearly so, the spikes smaller and separated or
scattered.--S. E. Mich. (_Cooley, Clark_); little known.
106. C. gravida, Bailey. Lower and the culm thinner and more sharply
angled, 1--2 deg. high; leaves rather narrower and firmer, shorter than the
culm; head short, always simple, globular or short-oblong, the lowest
spikes rarely distinct; spikes few (4--7), globular, or broader than
long; perigynium broadly ovate, nearly twice larger, sessile, plump and
somewhat polished at maturity, prominently spreading.--N. Ill. to Iowa
and Neb.--Var. LAXIFOLIA, Bailey. Much larger, 2--31/2 deg. high; leaves
broader (about 1/4') and lax; head large and dense, ovoid or oblong,
scarcely interrupted. N. Ill. to Dak.
2. _Perigynium very small, mostly nerved on the inner face._
107. C. vulpinoidea, Michx. Mostly rather stiff, 1--21/2 deg. high; culm very
rough, at least above; leaves various, mostly flat and longer than the
culm; head 1--4' long, usually much interrupted and frequently somewhat
compound, varying from dull brown to almost green at maturity, commonly
provided with many very setaceous short bracts; spikes very numerous,
ascending and densely flowered; perigynium ovate or lance-ovate, mostly
ascending.--Low places, variable; very abundant, especially northward.
[b.] _Scales blunt, smooth and hyaline-tipped._
108. C. Sartwellii, Dewey. Stiff and strict, 11/2--21/2 deg. high; leaves
produced into a long slender point, mostly shorter than the culm;
staminate flowers variously disposed, frequently whole spikes being
sterile; head 1--3' long and rather narrow, the individual spikes
usually clearly defined, or occasionally the head interrupted below,
tawny-brown; perigynium elliptic or lance-elliptic, nerved on both
sides, very gradually contracted into a short beak; scale about the
length of the perigynium. (C. disticha, last ed.)--Bogs, central N. Y.,
west and northward; frequent.
[*] 11.--[+] 4. _Arenariae._
C. ARENARIA, Linn. Extensively creeping, 1 deg. high or less; leaves very
narrow and very long-pointed, shorter than the culm; head about 1' long,
dense or sometimes interrupted, ovoid or oblong; spikes few to many,
those at the apex of the head usually staminate, the intermediate ones
staminate at the summit, the lowest entirely pistillate and subtended by
a bract about 1' long; perigynium very strongly nerved on both faces,
wing-margined above, sharply long-toothed, about the length of the
scale.--Sea-beaches near Norfolk, Va. (_McMinn_). (Adv. from Eu.)
[*] 11.--[+] 5. _Muhlenbergianae._
[++] _Heads narrow, the spikes scattered (or often aggregated in_ C.
muricata.)
[=] _Perigynium almost terete._
109. C. tenella, Schkuhr. Exceedingly slender, 6'--2 deg. high, in tufts;
leaves flat, soft, and weak, mostly shorter than the culm; spikes
1--3-flowered, or the terminal 4--6-flowered, all distinct and scattered
on the upper part of the culm, the bracts obsolete or the lowest present
and very short; perigynium elliptic-ovate, very plump, finely nerved,
the minute beak entire, longer than the white scale, usually at length
splitting and exposing the blackish achene.--Cold swamps, N. Eng. to
Penn., and far westward; common. (Eu.)
[=][=] _Perigynium flattish._
110. C. rosea, Schkuhr. Always slender and weak, erect, 1--21/2 deg. high,
exceeding the narrow leaves; spikes 5--8, 6--14-flowered, the upper 3--4
aggregated, the others 3--9'' apart, the lowest usually with a setaceous
bract; perigynium lance-ovate, thin and shining, nerveless, scarcely
margined, rough on the edges above, perfectly squarrose, very green,
about twice longer than the translucent white scale.--Rich woods, N.
Eng. to Minn. and Neb.; frequent.--Var. RADIATA, Dewey. Lower and much
more slender, the culms sometimes almost capillary; spikes 2--5,
scattered, 2--4-flowered; perigynium mostly narrower and more ascending.
Open places and drier woods; common.
Var. Texensis, Torr. Very slender but strict, 1 deg. high or less; spikes
3--4, all contiguous or the lower ones approximate, 2--6-flowered;
perigynium lanceolate, the base prominently spongy, smooth or nearly so,
conspicuously divaricate.--Dry places, S. Ill. (_Schneck_), and
southward.
Var. retroflexa, Torr. Often rather stiff, 1--11/2 deg. high; spikes 4--8, the
upper ones aggregated, the lower 1 or 2 separated and commonly subtended
by a conspicuous bract, often brownish; perigynium ovate, smooth
throughout, very prominently corky and swollen at the base, which is
frequently contracted almost to a stipe, at maturity usually widely
spreading or reflexed; scale brownish and sharp, at length deciduous.
(C. retroflexa, _Muhl._)--Copses, throughout; rare northward.
111. C. sparganioides, Muhl. Stouter, stiff; culm 2--3 deg. high; leaves
very broad (usually 1/4' or more) and flat, their sheaths conspicuously
clothing the base of the culm; spikes 6--10, the 2 or 3 upper ones
contiguous, the remainder entirely separate, very green, oblong or
short-cylindric, the lowest often compound, all truncate at top;
perigynium ovate, wing-margined, rough on the short beak, often
obscurely nerved on the outer face, considerably longer than the
rough-pointed scale.--Rich woods; frequent.
C. MURICATA, L. Culm 1--2 deg. high, rough, longer than the narrow leaves;
spikes 5--10, variously disposed, but usually some of them scattered,
frequently all aggregated, rarely tawny; perigynium heavy, ovate, thin
and shining, nerveless, the long beak minutely rough, spreading, a
little longer than the sharp green or brownish scale.--Dry fields, E.
Mass., where it is common, and sparingly south and westward to Va. and
Ohio. (Nat. from Eu.)
[++][++] _Heads short-oblong or globular, the spikes all aggregated, or
only the lowest one or two separate_.
[=] _Plant very stiff throughout_.
112. C. Muhlenbergii, Schkuhr. Pale, growing in small tufts, 1--2{1/2} deg.
high; culms much prolonged beyond the few narrow and at length involute
leaves; head {3/4}' long or less, the individual spikes clearly defined;
spikes globular, 4--8; perigynium nearly circular, very strongly nerved
on both faces, broader than the rough-cuspidate scale and about as
long.--Open sterile soils; frequent.--Var. ENERVIS, Boott. Perigynium
nearly or entirely nerveless. Southeastern N. Y., and southward; rare.
[=][=] _Plant strict but not stiff._
113. C. cephaloidea, Dewey. Lax, very green, 2--3 deg. high; leaves broad
(2--3'') and thin, shorter than the long culm; head rather loose, 3/4'
long or more, all but the very uppermost spikes clearly defined;
perigynium ovate, entirely nerveless, long rough-pointed, spreading,
twice longer than the very thin scale or more.--Shady banks, W. Mass. to
Mich.; frequent.
114. C. cephalophora, Muhl. Mostly smaller and stricter, pale; leaves
half as wide or less; head small, rarely 1/2' long, globular or very
short-oblong, never interrupted, the lower 1 or 2 spikes usually bearing
a very setaceous short bract; perigynium twice smaller than in the last,
scarcely longer than the rough-cuspidate scale.--Dry and mostly sterile
knolls; common.
Var. angustifolia, Boott. Low, 8' high or less; leaves very narrow; head
smaller, usually tawny; perigynium mostly broader.--West and southward;
rare.
[*] 11.--[+] 6. _Dioicae_.
[++] _Perigynium nerveless or very nearly so_.
115. C. capitata, L. Rigid, 3'--1 deg. high; leaves filiform, shorter than
the culm; head globular, uniformly staminate above, brown, very small;
perigynium broadly ovate, very thin, whitish, prominently beaked, erect
and appressed, longer than the very thin and obtuse scale.--Alpine
summits of the White Mountains. (Eu.)
[++][++] _Perigynium prominently nerved_.
116. C. gynocrates, Wormsk. Stiff but very slender, 3--6' high,
dioecious; leaves filiform and setaceous, about the length of the culm;
spike oblong, 2--4'' long; perigynium elliptic-ovate, nearly terete,
stipitate, widely spreading or reflexed at maturity, 1 or 2 sometimes
borne at the base of the staminate spike.--Cold sphagnum swamps, Penn.,
north and westward; local, particularly southward.
117. C. exilis, Dewey. Very stiff, slender, 1--2 deg. high; leaves
involute-filiform and very stiff, shorter than the culm; spike varying
from almost globular to cylindrical (frequently 1' long), either
unisexual or the sexes variously placed, very rarely a supplementary
spike at base; perigynium elliptic-ovate, flattish, stipitate and
somewhat cordate at base, strongly brown-nerved on the outer face,
rather faintly nerved on the inner, rough-edged above, sharply toothed,
spreading, a little longer than the scale.--Cold swamps and
lake-borders, N. Eng. and eastern N. Y. to N. J.; rare.
[*] 12. HYPARRHENAE.--[+] 1. _Elongatae_.
[++] _Perigynium very sharp-margined, firm, often thickened at base,
spreading in open and at maturity stellate spikes._
118. C. echinata, Murray, var. cephalantha, Bailey. Rather stiff but
slender, 1--2 deg. high; leaves very narrow and involute, about the length
of the culm; spikes 5--8, approximate or even aggregated into a head,
green, compactly 15--30-flowered, short-oblong or nearly globular;
perigynium ovate-lanceolate, rough on the margins above, nerved on both
faces, spreading or reflexed at maturity, the beak long and prominent,
longer than the sharp white scale. (C. stellulata, last ed.)--E. Penn.
(_Porter_) to Mass. (_Morong_), and westward to L. Superior; rare.--Var.
CONFERTA, Bailey. Very stiff; spikes contiguous or scattered, spreading,
short-oblong or globular, dense; perigynium broadly ovate or even nearly
round-ovate, very strongly nerved, reflexed or widely spreading. Near
the sea-coast; uncommon. The perigynia resemble those of n. 112.--Var.
MICROSTACHYS, Boeckl. Mostly very slender; spikes few, 3--10-flowered,
usually tawny; perigynium small, lance-ovate, nerved on the outer face
but usually nerveless on the inner, erect or spreading, the beak rather
long or prominent. (C. scirpoides, _Schkuhr._ C. sterilis, _Willd._)
Swales, throughout; very common and variable.--Var. ANGUSTATA, Bailey.
Exceedingly slender; spikes few and very few-flowered, mostly all
contiguous; perigynium lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, twice the length
of the scale or more. N. Y., Vt., and northward; rare.
[++][++] _Perigynium scarcely sharp-margined, thin in texture, not
thickened at base, mostly in closely flowered and rounded or oblong
spikes._
[=] _Perigynium ovate or nearly so, the beak short or none._
[a.] _Bracts not prolonged._
119. C. canescens, L. Stiff and rather stout, 1--21/2 deg. high, glaucous and
pale throughout, growing in stools; spikes 4--8, globular or oblong,
very densely 20--50-flowered, approximate or somewhat scattered on the
upper part of the culm, usually prominently contracted below with the
staminate flowers; perigynium short-ovate, silvery-white and minutely
puncticulate, never thickened at base, faintly few-nerved, smooth
throughout, ascending, the beak very short and entire; scale obtuse or
acutish, about the length of the perigynium.--Cool swamps and bogs, N.
Eng. to Penn., west and northward; frequent northward. (Eu.)
Var. vulgaris, Bailey. Very slender, lower, not glaucous, in small and
loose tufts; spikes smaller and usually fewer, loosely flowered;
perigynium mostly more beaked, prominently spreading.--Mostly in drier
places; very common. Perigynium much shorter than in any form of n. 118.
Var. alpicola, Wahl. Low and stiff, or at lower altitudes becoming
somewhat slender, seldom much over 1 deg. in height; spikes small, globular
or nearly so, dense, well defined and brown or tawny; perigynium as in
the type, ascending. (C. vitilis, _Fries._)--Mountains from N. Eng. to
Ga., sparingly along our northern boundary, and far westward. (Eu.)
Var. polystachya, Boott. Erect and mostly strict, not glaucous, 11/2--21/2 deg.
high, scarcely tufted; leaves very lax and exceeding the culm; spikes
oblong, more or less aggregated in an oblong interrupted head, the
lowest 1 or 2 subtended by short scale-like bracts; perigynium somewhat
spreading. (C. arcta, _Boott_.) Low woods, N. New Eng. to N. Minn.;
rare. Resembles C. echinata, var. cephalantha.
120. C. Norvegica, Willd. Low and stiff, but rather slender, 1 deg. high or
less; leaves very narrow, mostly shorter than the culm; spikes 3--5,
somewhat scattered, brown, globular or oblong, compactly many-flowered,
the terminal one long-contracted below with the staminate flowers;
perigynium very short-ovate, thick, the beak rough, a little longer than
the very obtuse scale.--Salt marshes, Maine, and northward, rare. (Eu.)
121. C. tenuiflora, Wahl. Very slender and diffuse, 1--11/2 deg. high, in
tufts; leaves very narrow and lax, shorter than the filiform culm;
spikes 2--4, all loosely few-flowered and silvery-green, and aggregated
into a small globular head; perigynium elliptic, obscurely nerved,
smooth, beakless, spreading, about the length of the white thin
scale.--Bogs, N. New Eng. to N. Minn.; local. (Eu.)
[b.] _Bracts much prolonged, the lowest 2--3' long._
122. C. trisperma, Dewey. (Pl. 6, fig. 1--5.) Exceedingly slender, in
small and loose tufts, the weak reclining culms 1--2 deg. long; leaves soft
and narrow, shorter than the culm; spikes 2--3, 1--3' apart,
silvery-green, 2--3-flowered; perigynium very thin, finely nerved, the
beak entire or nearly so; scale acute, very thin, usually shorter than
the perigynium.--Cold bogs, throughout; common northward.
[=][=] _Perigynium ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate._
123. C. Deweyana, Schwein. Weak, 1--11/2 deg. high; leaves flat and soft,
shorter than the culm, yellowish-green; spikes 3--6, mostly oblong or
sometimes but 2--3-flowered, loose, the upper ones contiguous but the
lower 1 or 2 usually considerably separated on the zigzag rhachis and
mostly subtended by a bract, all silvery-green; perigynium
ovate-lanceolate or narrower, very thin in texture, nerveless, somewhat
thickened below on the outer face, the long beak rough; scale very thin,
acute or cuspidate, about the length of the perigynium.--Dry woods;
common.
124. C. bromoides, Schkuhr. Lax, 1--2 deg. high, in dense stools; leaves
very narrow, about as long as the culm; staminate flowers variously
situated in the head, sometimes a few spikes wholly sterile, rarely the
plants dioecious; spikes 3--6, oblong or short-cylindric, erect,
silvery-tawny or brown; perigynium linear-lanceolate, firm especially at
the base, prominently nerved, the long and roughened beak toothed; scale
sharp, shorter than the perigynium.--Open bogs; common.
[*] 12.--[+] 2. _Ovales._
[++] _Perigynium ovate-lanceolate, with winged margins._
125. C. siccata, Dewey. Extensively creeping, 1--2 deg. high, erect; leaves
firm, narrow, about the length of the culm; staminate flowers variously
situated, usually some of the spikes wholly sterile; spikes 3--5,
aggregated or separated, ovoid or short-oblong, silvery-brown;
perigynium firm, nerved on both faces, the long beak rough and toothed,
the margins prominent or sometimes very narrow; scale acute, about the
length of the perigynium.--Sandy fields and banks, N. Eng. to Ohio, west
and northward; frequent.
[++][++] _Perigynium ovate-lanceolate or narrower, scale-like, with
little distinction between body and margin._
126. C. Muskingumensis, Schwein. Robust, erect, 2--3 deg. high; leaves many
and lax, loosely sheathing, those on the sterile shoots crowded near the
top, all flat and long-pointed; spikes 6--12, contiguous, erect,
narrowly cylindric (often 1' long), becoming light brown and presenting
a dried appearance, very densely flowered; perigynium linear-lanceolate
(3'' long), prominently nerved, ciliate on the white margins above,
appressed, twice the length of the scale or more. (C. arida, _Schwein. &
Torr._)--Woods and copses, Mich. and Ohio to Ill. and Wisc.; local.
127. C. tribuloides, Wahl. Stout and erect, 2--3 deg. high; leaves narrower
than in the last, loosely sheathing; spikes 6--15, aggregated into an
oblong or somewhat interrupted heavy head, short-oblong or sometimes
nearly globular, green or tawny-green, compact, not narrowed above;
perigynium linear-lanceolate (3'' long), obscurely nerved, erect but the
points conspicuous, rough-margined, nearly twice the length of the
scale. (C. lagopodioides, _Schkuhr_.)--Open swales; frequent.--Var.
TURBATA, Bailey. Culm softer and often lax; the leaves broader; spikes
more loosely disposed, forming a head 1--2' long, which is slender and
more or less interrupted but always erect, green, becoming tawny, if at
all, only when the perigynia begin to fall, obovate-oblong (1/4 to rarely
1/2' long), contracted below; perigynium ascending and more appressed, the
points therefore not conspicuous. Woods, throughout; rare.--Var.
REDUCTA, Bailey. Very slender, 1--2 deg. high, the culm projecting beyond
the leaves; spikes 2--10, small and nearly globular (usually less than
3'' broad), all usually distinct, the lowest separated, brown,
especially at maturity, the head often flexuose; perigynium small, the
points spreading and conspicuous. Copses, N. Eng. to Dak.; infrequent.
Var. Bebbii, Bailey. Stiff or rather slender, erect, 1--21/2 deg. high; head
dense, ovoid or oblong (1/4--3/4' or very seldom 1' long), the lowest spike
only rarely distinct, straw-colored; spikes small (3'' long or less),
their axes ascending; bracts at the base of the head small or none;
points of the small perigynium conspicuous. (C. Bebbii, _Olney_.)--Dry
low grounds, throughout; common.
Var. cristata, Bailey. Stout and stiff, 11/2--3 deg. high; head more or less
open or at least the lower 1 or 2 spikes commonly distinct, 1' long or
more, green; spikes larger than in the last and almost exactly globular,
their axes more divergent or fully horizontal; bracts usually
conspicuous, sometimes one of them foliaceous; perigynium spreading, the
points more conspicuous. (C. cristata, _Schwein_.)--Moist ground,
throughout from Penn. northward; common.
128. C. scoparia, Schkuhr. Rather slender but erect, 1--21/2 deg. high; leaves
very narrow, shorter than the culm; head short and comparatively thick,
always tawny or brown, bractless or nearly so; spikes 3--8, all
contiguous or bunched, ovate-oblong, always prominently narrowed or
cone-shaped above, ascending; perigynium as in n. 127, but erect or
ascending.--Open swales, throughout; common eastward.
Var. minor, Boott. Much smaller, 6--10' high, the leaves very narrow;
head very small and darker brown; spikes very small (2--4''
long).--Rocky and sterile places, northward; frequent.
[++][++][++] _Perigynium ovate or broader, thickened in the middle,
wing-margined (in n. 129 marginless)._
[=] _Head silvery-brown, silvery-green, or silvery-whitish._
129. C. adusta, Boott. Very stiff and stout, 11/2--21/2 deg. high, in dense
tufts; head very heavy, erect, varying from globular to oblong,
silvery-brown; spikes 5--10, globular and heavy, all aggregated or
sometimes distinct, the lowest 1 or 2 subtended by a short and very
broad-based, nerved and pointed bract; perigynium broadly ovate,
wingless or very nearly so, plump, shining, nerved on the outer face but
nerveless on the inner, filled by the large achene; scale acute, about
the length of the perigynium. (C. pinguis, _Bailey_.)--Dry and mostly
hard soils, Mt. Desert, Maine (_Greenleaf_), and northward, and Crawford
Co., Mich. (_Bailey_), to N. Minn., and far northwestward; local.