Carex sect. Chlorostachyae
brown at base.
basal sheaths ± fibrous;
sheath fronts membranous;
blades V-shaped in cross section when young, or filiform or channeled, widest leaves 1–4 mm, glabrous.
racemose, with 3–6 spikes;
proximal nonbasal bracts leaflike, often short, long-sheathing, sheath more than 4 mm, longer than diameter of stem;
lateral spikes pistillate, spreading or pendent, pedunculate, peduncles longer than spikes (spikes erect or on short peduncles in artic and high mountain plants), prophyllate;
terminal spike staminate, gynecandrous, or androgynous.
ascending, not speckled red-brown, veinless except for 2, strong, marginal veins or weakly 2–10-veined, stipitate, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, obtusely trigonous in cross section, base rounded, apex contracted or tapering to beak, glabrous;
beak 0.3–1 mm, margins entire or serrulate, orifice entire or subentire.
trigonous, almost as large as perigynia, glabrous;
style deciduous.
pistillate scales with apex obtuse to acute.
3.
Carex sect. Chlorostachyae
Species ca. 8 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf blades not more than 1 mm wide, channeled; perigynia distinctly veined on faces; terminal spike androgynous or staminate. | C. williamsii |
1. Leaf blades (0.75–)1–4 mm wide, flat or, rarely, folded; perygynia with marginal veins, otherwise veinless on faces; terminal spike staminate or gynecandrous. | → 2 |
2. Terminal spike usually staminate; lateral spikes 2–4. | C. capillaris |
2. Terminal spike usually gynecandrous; lateral spikes usually 4–10. | C. krausei |
