linear, acuminate, rough at the edges. Male spikes mostly
solitary, rarely two, cylindrical, rather acute, with elliptical,
blunt, ferruginous scales, having a broad white scariose
torn border, and a yellowish midrib. Stamens 3. Female
spikes 2 or 3, distant, stalked, ovate, crowded, many-flowered,
erect, about half an inch long. Peduncles longer
than the sheaths, slender, capillary, straight, almost quite
smooth. Scales broadly ovate, acute, brown, with a white
scariose border, and a green rough midrib, occasionally
projecting beyond the scale; the lowest ones rather obtuse.
Style long, filiform. Stigmas filiform, spreading,
minutely papillose. Fruit longer than the Scales, ovate,
triangular, ventricose, ribbed, smooth, green, terminated
by a rather long beak, rough at the edges with minute
teeth, cloven at the top, the lobes upright, with a white
membranous border. Nut turbinate, triquetrous, smooth
and shining, with rather prominent angles, and'crowned
by the persistent base of the style.
First observed ,by me in a marshy moor to the east of
Mugdoch Castle, about ten miles north of Glasgow; I have
also gathered it in marshes on the Campsie Hills, on the
Ochill Hilts, near Dunning, Perthshire, and in several
stations in the county of Forfar. I have likewise seen
specimens collected last summer by my friend Dr. Mac-
reight on Morne mountains in the county of Down, Ireland.
It is by no means a plant of rare occurrence in Scotland,
being liable to be overlooked for C. fulva and distorts,
to both of which it is nearly related. Its first discovery is
due to my late father, who appears to havé collected it in
Forfarshire, and by whom ft was regarded as a variety of
C. fulva, from which it is distinguished by its smoother
herbage, much longer peduncles, broader and scariose
scales, and more strongly ribbed fruit. The distinction between
it and distorts is more strongly marked in the dark
brown cylindrical female spikes of the latter, abruptly
pointed, broader scales, and shorter, smooth, and not mem-
branously bordered beak. It appears also to come near to
the C. Hostiana, but in that the stem is represented as more
leafy, the female spikes about 4, and the fruit even with a
shorter beak.—D. Don.