Carex sect. Rostrales
yellowish or brown, without trace of red or purple at base.
basal sheaths fibrous or not;
sheath fronts membranous;
blades M-shaped in cross section when young, glabrous.
racemose, with 2–6 spikes;
proximal bracts leaflike, sheathing, sheath 4+ mm, longer than diameter of stem;
lateral spikes pistillate or distal lateral spike androgynous, pedunculate, prophyllate;
terminal spike staminate.
spreading to somewhat reflexed, rarely ascending, veined, stipitate, ovate or lanceolate, round or rounded-trigonous in cross section, base round-tapering, apex tapering or, rarely, contracted to beak, glabrous;
beak, when present, bidentate, teeth erect.
brown, oblong-ovoid or ovoid, trigonous, smaller than bodies of perigynia, smooth;
style persistent.
pistillate scales with 5–7-veined center, apex acute to awned.
3.
Carex sect. Rostrales
Species 5 (4 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Perigynia ovate to narrowly ovate, 2.6–3.9 times as long as wide, 6.4–10.7 mm, apex contracted; beak 1.3–3 mm. | C. turgescens |
1. Perigynia lanceolate, 4–7 times as long as wide, (8.3–)10.5–15.6 mm, apex gradually tapered, bidentulate; beak absent. | → 2 |
2. Widest leaf blades 1.6–3.5(–4.2) mm wide; bract sheaths concave at apex; anthers 1.1– 2.7 mm. | C. michauxiana |
2. Widest leaf blades (3.5–)5–18 mm wide; bract sheaths prolonged, truncate to convex at apex; anthers 3–5 mm. | → 3 |
3. Larger achenes 3.4–4(–4.5) mm, (1.7–)1.8–2.4 times as long as wide; lateral spikes entirely pistillate (occasionally a few empty scales at apex), the proximal usually arching or nodding; widest leaves of vegetative shoots 8–18(–21) mm wide; proximal pistillate scales mostly 2/3 as long as to slightly longer than perigynia. | C. folliculata |
3. Larger achenes 2.3–3.4(–3.8) mm, 1.3–1.8 times as long as wide; lateral spikes usually with conspicuous staminate apex, erect or spreading; widest leaves of vegetative shoots (3.5–)5–12 mm wide; proximal pistillate scales mostly 1/2–2/3 as long as perigynia. | C. lonchocarpa |
