Flora of North America species comparison

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Carex sect. Spirostachyae
Habit Plants cespitose, short-rhizomatous.
Culms

red-brown at base.
Leaves

basal sheaths not fibrous;

sheath fronts membranous;

blades not or sparingly septate-nodulose, V-shaped in cross section when young, glabrous.
Inflorescences

racemose, with 3–6 spikes;

proximal nonbasal bracts leaflike, long-sheathing, sheath 4+ mm, longer than diameter of stem;

lateral spikes pistillate, pedunculate, peduncle usually not longer than spike, prophyllate;

terminal spike staminate.
Perigynia

ascending or spreading, yellow-or gray-green or brown, usually speckled reddish brown, strongly 10–16-veined, elliptic or ovate, rounded-trigonous in cross section, base cuneate, apex tapering to beak, glabrous;

beak 0.4–1.4 mm, bidentate, teeth 0.2–0.4 mm.
Achenes

trigonous, smaller than bodies of perigynia;

style deciduous.
Proximal

pistillate scales with apex acute or cuspidate.
Stigmas

3.

Carex sect. Spirostachyae
Distribution
Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

Species ca. 15 (3 in the flora).

Carex sect. Spirostachyae is closely related to sect. Ceratocystis Dumortier and has often been included with it under the name “Extensae.” W. J. Crins and P. W. Ball (1988) clarified the distinctions between the two sections.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Leaves of flowering stems channelled or involute, widest blades 1–3.5(–4.3) mm wide; distal 2–3 pistillate spikes usually clustered near stem apex beside staminate spike; staminate spikes on peduncles 0.2–1 cm; proximal bract 2–10 times as long as inflorescence.
C. extensa
1. Leaves of flowering stems flat, widest blades 3.3–5 mm wide; pistillate spikes widely spaced, with at most 1 or 2 near, but not clustered about, staminate spike; staminate spikes on peduncles 1–5(–8.5) cm; proximal bract shorter than to no more than 1.5 times as long as inflorescence.
→ 2
2. Perigynia 3.5–4.6 mm, apex contracted; beak (0.8–)1–1.4 mm, scabrous; proximal bract usually shorter than the inflorescence; longer peduncles of staminate spikes 2–5(–8.5) cm; staminate and pistillate spikes well separated; leaves gray-green.
C. distans
2. Perigynia 2.6–3.5 mm, apex gradually tapered; beak 0.4–0.7 mm, smooth; proximal bract mostly equaling or exceeding inflorescence; longer peduncles of staminate spikes 1–2(–4) cm; distal 1–2 pistillate spikes usually aggregated near staminate spike; leaves yellowish green.
C. diluta
Source FNA vol. 23. Authors: William J. Crins, A. A. Reznicek.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Carex
Subordinate taxa
C. diluta, C. distans, C. extensa
Synonyms C. unranked Spirostachyae
Name authority (Drejer) L. H. Bailey: in J. M. Coulter, Man. Bot. Rocky Mt., 381. (1885)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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