z l , [ 3°7 ]
C A R E X vulpina.
Great Carex.
M 0 N CE C I A T r iandr ia.
Gen. Char, Male, Catkin imbricated. Cal. of one
feale. Cor. none. Female, Catkin imbricated.
Cal. of one feale. Cor. inflated, permanent. Seed
triangular, invefted with the corolla.
Spec. Char. Spike thrice compounded,' compadf,
obtufe. Male flowers in each fpikelet above the
female. Fruit fpreading. Angles o f the ftem
very iharp.
Syn. Carex vulpina. Linn. Sp. PL 1382. HudJ. FI.
An. 404. With. Bot. Arr. 1030. Relh. Cant. 350.
Sibth. Ox. 27. Gooden. Fr. of Linn. Soc. V. 2. 161.
Leers Herborn. 196. /. 14. ƒ. 5.
Gramen cyperoides paluftre majus, fpica compadla.
Rail Syn. 423.
jL H IS is found, rather lefs frequently than the laft, in
marfhy places, banks of rivers, &c. and is one of the largeft
as well as beft underftood Britilh fpecies. It flowers in the
early part of fummer, but its brown fpikes in a feeding ftate
may be found for fome time afterwards.
Root perennial, fibrous, forming thick tufts. Stems many,
eredt, about 2 feet high, ftout, very acutely triangular and rough,
fo as to cut the fingers of thofe who handle them incautioully.
-Leaves fheathing the lower part with their whitilh membranous
bafe, long, deep green, very rough on the edges and nerve.
General fpike of feveral alternate, rather remote, compound
fpikelets, with a linear bradtea to each. Little fpikelets fmall,
their male flowers above the female. Scales of the male flowers
ovate, acute, membranous; thofe of the female fomewhat abrupt,
with a longifh rough point. Bafe of thé ftyle tumid.
Stigmas two. Permanent corolla flightly notched. The ftem
above the loweft fpikelet, as Dr. Goodenough óbferves, fudden-
ly diminifhes very much in thicknefs.
Leers’s exquifite figures cannot be too much admired, though
perhaps he excels lefs in fome of the Carnes than in other
grafles. We mean only to commend his own original plates.
Thofe of the 2d edition are vile copies, in which all accuracy
of character is loft, and even many parts totally omitted by
the blundering engraver.