Part 185 (1/2)

[+] 3. _Vesicariae._ Perigynium smooth and s.h.i.+ning, much inflated, at maturity straw-colored or sometimes purple, beaked and conspicuously short toothed (entire in n. 10), usually prominently few nerved, much shorter than in [+] 2; staminate spikes commonly 2 or more; pistillate spikes as a rule long and densely cylindrical.--Sp. 9--16.

[+] 4. _Pseudocyperae._ Perigynium less inflated, more conspicuously nerved or even costate, and with more or less setaceous or awned teeth; scale usually awned; spikes mostly nodding or spreading, comose in appearance, greenish, greenish-yellow, or ochroleucous.--Sp. 17--19.

[+] 5. _Squarrosae._ Perigynium obconic or obovoid, squarrose in exceedingly dense short spikes.--Sp. 20, 21.

[*] 2. Trachychlaenae. Perigynium mostly thick and hard in texture, often scabrous or hirsute, straight-beaked; pistillate spikes compactly flowered, mostly large, erect or nearly so; staminate spikes 1 or more; stigmas 3. Generally large and coa.r.s.e.

[+] 1. _Shortianae._ Terminal spike androgynous, staminate below; perigynium small, scabrous, nearly beakless, entire.--Sp. 22.

[+] 2. _Anomalae._ Terminal spike all staminate; pistillate spikes long and cylindrical, mostly dense; perigynium broad and short, short-beaked, the orifice very slightly notched or entire, mostly granulate.--Sp. 23.

[+] 3. _Hirtae._ A heterogeneous group, distinguished from [+] 2 by the longer and more deeply cut beak (slightly toothed in n. 24), and by the hairy perigynium (smooth in n. 25)--Sp. 24--27.

[+] 4. _Paludosae._ Staminate spikes 2 or more, long stalked; the pistillate 2--several, usually all peduncled, long and heavy, loose-flowered, erect or nodding; perigynium large, thick in texture, strongly nerved, mostly smooth, usually conspicuously beaked. Coa.r.s.e species.--Sp. 28, 29.

[*] 3. Microrhynchae. Parallel with [*] 2; distinguished in general by the much smaller and nearly or entirely beakless and mostly entire-mouthed perigynium, which is much thinner in texture; stigmas 2 or 3. Paludose and alpine species, of various habit, mostly with colored spikes, often in dense tufts or tussocks.

[+] 1. _Atratae._ Terminal spike club-shaped and androgynous with the staminate flowers below (very rarely all staminate in n. 32); pistillate spikes mostly short and dark-colored, erect or drooping; stigmas 3.--Sp.

30--32.

[+] 2. _Rigidae._ Mostly stiff, with short erect closely flowered spikes, an entirely staminate terminal spike, dark colored scales, and bracts with purple or black auricles at base; stigmas 2 or 3.--Sp. 33.

[+] 3. _Acutae._ Mostly larger and more slender, usually paludose, with green or light-colored large and long spikes; stigmas 2 (3 in n. 39).

Distinguished from [+] 2 mainly by habit.--Sp. 34--39.

[+] 4. _Cryptocarpae._ Large, with nodding or drooping large spikes, their dark scales very long and conspicuous; stigmas 2.--Sp. 40, 41.

[+] 5. _Pendulinae._ Distinguished from [+] 4 by the smaller size, smaller spikes, sheathless bracts, and whitish, more or less granulated, nearly pointless perigynium; stigmas 3.--Sp. 42--45.

[*] 4. Hymenochlaenae. Perigynium mostly light green or whitish, usually thin and membranous, often somewhat inflated or loosely investing the achene, commonly smooth and s.h.i.+ning (hairy in n. 46, sometimes in n. 47), slender or oblong, attenuate to a distinct or long minutely toothed straight beak (or beakless or nearly so in [+] 1 and n. 55); pistillate spikes several or many, mostly loosely flowered and on filiform nodding or widely spreading peduncles; bracts leaf-like; terminal spike staminate or androgynous; stigmas 3. Mostly rather tall and slender upland species.

[+] 1. _Virescentes._ Terminal spike pistillate at top; pistillate spikes oblong or cylindrical, dense, erect; perigynium ovate or obovate, nearly or quite beakless, often hairy.--Sp. 46, 47.

[+] 2. _Sylvaticae._ Terminal spike all staminate; pistillate spikes mostly long-exserted, slender; perigynium few-nerved, contracted into a cylindrical beak which is longer than the body.--Sp. 48.

[+] 3. _Flexiles._ Terminal spike all staminate; pistillate spikes rather thick (very small in n. 50), more or less drooping; perigynium beaked, few-nerved or nerveless, tawny or whitish.--Sp. 49, 50.

[+] 4. _Debiles._ Terminal spike all staminate (occasionally pistillate above in n. 53); pistillate spikes very narrow and slender, long-exserted and nodding, mostly very loosely flowered; perigynium rather small, not turgid, prominently beaked.--Sp. 51--53.

[+] 5. _Gracillimae._ Terminal spike pistillate at top; pistillate spikes habitually thicker than in [+] 4; perigynium ovate-oblong, more or less turgid; the beak short or none.--Sp. 54--57.

[+] 6. _Griseae._ Terminal spike staminate; perigynium more or less turgid or plump, often glaucous, scarcely beaked, finely striate; spikes erect.--Sp. 58, 59.

[*] 5. Spirostachyae. Perigynium smooth or minutely granulated or rarely somewhat serrate on the margins, prominently nerved, mostly yellowish, squarrose, mostly beaked (entirely beakless in n. 63), the orifice entire; staminate spike mostly single; pistillate spikes 2--5, short (usually 1' long or less), yellow or fuscous, compactly flowered; stigmas 3.--Medium-sized species, growing in meadows and gra.s.sy swales.

[+] 1. _Granulares._ Spikes scattered, cylindrical, the lowest long-stalked; bracts erect, long and leafy; sheaths short or nearly obsolete.--Sp. 60, 61.

[+] 2. _Extensae._ Spikes mostly approximate or aggregated at the top of the culm (becoming remote in C. extensa), the lowest 1 or 2 subtended by a long and leafy mostly abruptly spreading and nearly or entirely sheathless bract. Terminal spike sometimes androgynous.--Sp. 62.

[+] 3. _Pallescentes._ Spikes globular or short-oblong, obtuse, sessile or short-peduncled, approximate at the top of the culm; bracts short, leaf-like, sheathless; perigynium entire at the orifice, the beak none or very short and stout.--Sp. 63, 64.