[ 9*8 ]
C A R EX arenaria.
Sea Car ex.
y
MONOECIA Triandria.
Gen. Char. Male, Catkin imbricated. Cal. o f i fcale.
Cor. none. Female, Catkin imbricated. Cal. o f
i fcale. Cor. none. Stigmas 2 or 3. Seed clothed
with a fwelling tunic.
Spec. Char. Spikelets crowded, fpiked, almoft monol-
coLis. Bradfese membranous; the lower ones
leafy. Stem triangular. Leaves flat.
Sy n . Carex arenaria. Linn. Sp. PI. 1381. Sm. FI.
Brit. 971. Gooden. Tr. o f Linn. Soc. v. 2. 153.
Hudf. 405. With. 90. t. 20. Hull. 205. Dickf.
H. Sicc.fafc. 3. 14.
Gramini cyperoidi ex monte Ballon fimile humilius,
in maritimis et arenofis nafcens. Rail Syn. 423.
_ » E R Y common in theloofe fand of the fea 111 ore, where
it may be found in flower in June and July.
The root creeps horizontally to a great extent, fixing
itfelf by numerous fibres, and throwing up numerous Items,
about a foot high, erect, except when they are overborne by
the fand, naked, with 3 {harp angles, roughed in the upper part.
Leaves feveral, fheathing the bafe of the culm, upright, flat,
rough on the edge, terminating in a long taper point. Spike
ovate, comprefled, compofed of feveral, alternate, generally
clofe-fet, feflile, brown, ovate, many-flowered lpikelets.
Bradteae lanceolate, keeled, membranous at the edge, the
lower ones lengthened out into a leaf. Lower fpikelets almod
entirely compofed of female flowers; upper of male ones, which
in all the fpikelets are ranged above the females. Glumes
lanceolate, pointed. Stamina 3, capillary. Stigmas 2. Fruit
ovate, acute, ribbed, bordered with a membrane on each fide
in the upper part, rough on the edge, tipped with a cloven
point.
This Carex cooperates with the Elymus arenarius, Arundo
arenaria, and fome other grafles of lefs note, in fixing the
loofe barren fands of the fea fhore, which its long entangled
roots detain, and colledt into banks, in time forming powerful
ramparts againd the ocean. See v. 8. t. 520.