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Key to Carex, Key A: Subkey in Carex

Cyperaceae

Carex

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1 Leaf blades 20-60 mm wide, without a midrib (with 40-100 parallel nerves all of equal prominence), leathery, the apex obtuse; leaf margin scarious, minutely crisped-ruffled (feeling scaberulous to the touch)
1 Leaf blades 0.5-25 (-52) mm wide, with a midrib, herbaceous, the apex acute; leaf margin various (smooth or scabrous, but not as described below).
  2 Spike entirely staminate.
    3 Culms yellow to brown or black, without red or purple coloration.
      4 Culms shorter than the leaves; widest leaf blades > 2 mm wide
      4 Culms longer than the leaves; widest leaf blades < 2 mm wide
  2 Spike pistillate or with both pistillate and staminate flowers.
        5 Stigmas 2; achenes lenticular.
          6 Perigynia very obscurely or not at all serrulate, plump; plants slender rhizomatous
          6 Perigynia minutely but strongly and regularly serrulate on apical portion and beak, ± flattened; plants cespitose
        5 Stigmas 3; achenes trigonous.
             7 Perigynia pubescent near the tip
             7 Perigynia glabrous.
               8 Spikes gynecandrous; beak of perigynium with apical teeth > 0.3 mm long
               8 Spikes androgynous or entirely pistillate; beak of perigynium with apex entire, emarginate, or with teeth < 0.2 mm long.
                 9 Lower pistillate scales > 10 mm long
                 9 Lower pistillate scales < 10 mm long.
                   10 Perigynium beak > 2 mm long, as long as or longer than the perigynium body
                   10 Perigynium beak < 2 mm long, or if more, then tapering to the perigynium body and shorter than the body.
                     11 Perigynia > 4× as long as wide
                     11 Perigynia < 4× as long as wide.
                       12 Perigynia 1-3, each with 2 marginal veins only
                       12 Perigynia 2-13, each lightly many-veined on the body in addition to 2 marginal veins

Key to Carex, Key D: Subkey in Carex

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1 Pistillate spikes all from the base of the plant
1 Pistillate spikes all or in part borne on the elongate, aboveground stem.
  2 Bracts of the lowermost non-basal spike with well-developed sheath > 4 mm long.
    3 Beak of perigynium with distinct teeth > 0.6 mm long
    3 Beak of perigynium entire, notched, or with indistinct teeth < 0.6 mm long.
      4 Bracts of the lowermost non-basal spike bladeless, or with a blade < 2 mm long.
        5 Perigynia 2.0-2.9 mm long; leaf blades 0.9-3.3 mm wide
      4 Bracts of the lowermost non-basal spike with blade > 3 mm long (and often much longer).
          6 Achene tip with persistent, enlarged, circular style base
          6 Achene tip with at most a short apiculus.
             7 Leaves pubescent or pilose
             7 Leaves usually glabrous, to scabrous on the veins.
               8 Bases of plants brown
               8 Bases of plants distinctly red or purple.
                 9 Lowermost pistillate scales awned; leaves somewhat septate-nodulose; plants usually long-rhizomatous and forming large clonal colonies
                 9 Lowermost pistillate scales obtuse to acuminate; leaves not septate-nodulose; plants cespitose, short-rhizomatous
  2 Bracts of the lowermost non-basal spike sheathless or with sheath < 4 mm long.
                   10 Perigynia > 10 mm long.
                     11 Pistillate spikes globose, about as long as wide; staminate spikes usually 1
                     11 Pistillate spikes cylindric, much longer than wide; staminate spikes 1-8
                   10 Perigynia < 10 mm long.
                       12 Perigynium beak with 2 teeth > 0.6 mm long
                       12 Perigynium beak entire or with teeth < 0.6 mm long.
                          13 Terminal spike gynecandrous or pistillate
                            14 Perigynia papillate
                            14 Perigynia glabrous or pubescent.
                              15 Sheaths and blades both glabrous
                              15 Sheaths and/or blades pubescent
                          13 Terminal spike staminate (or rarely androgynous).
                                16 Leaf sheaths (and usually the blades as well) pubescent.
                                  17 Pistillate scales sometimes pubescent; pistillate spikes with 40-200 perigynia
                                  17 Pistillate scales glabrous; pistillate spikes with < 40 (-50) perigynia.
                                    18 Perigynia usually < 3.2 mm long, the apex rounded and beakless, or abruptly beaked
                                    18 Perigynia > 3.5 mm long, the tip tapering or abruptly beaked.
                                       19 Longer peduncles of pistillate spikes > 1 cm long; perigynia > 3× as long as wide, tapering gradually to the base
                                       19 Longer peduncles of pistillate spikes 0-1 cm long; perigynia < 3× as long as wide, abruptly contracted to a short stipe at the base.
                                         20 Perigynia distinctly 20-30-veined; beak < 0.5 mm long
                                         20 Perigynia veinless except for 2 marginal veins; beak > 0.7 mm long
                                16 Leaf sheaths and blades glabrous to scabrous.
                                           21 Achene tip with persistent, enlarged, circular style base
                                           21 Achene tip with at most a short apiculus.
                                             22 Leaf blades scabrous on the upper surface; beak of perigynium recurved
                                             22 Leaf blades glabrous on the upper surface, often with rough margins or tip; beak of perigynium straight.
                                               23 Fronts of sheaths of lower leaves ladder-fibrillose; leaves and sheaths septate-nodulose (sometimes obscurely so)
                                               23 Fronts of leaf sheaths not ladder-fibrillose, sometimes breaking into longitudinal fibers; leaves and sheaths not septate-nodulose.
                                                 24 Perigynia strongly 12-30-veined.
                                                    25 Pistillate scales with 3-7 (-10) veins
                                                    25 Pistillate scales with 1-3 veins.
                                                      26 Leaf blades, at least toward the tip, M-shaped in cross-section when young, the upper surface usually with 2 marginal veins more prominent than the midvein; staminate spikes 1-4
                                                      26 Leaf blades V-shaped in cross-section when young, the upper surface lacking 2 marginal veins more prominent than the midrib; staminate spike 1
                                                 24 Perigynia 0-12-veined.
                                                        27 Proximal pistillate spike pendulous, perigynia usually > 30 per spike; terminal staminate spikes 1-3; [exotic]
                                                        27 Proximal pistillate spike erect, perigynia < 25 per spike; terminal staminate spikes 1; [native].
                                                          28 Plants with at least some pistillate spikes basal; culms much shorter than the leaves
                                                          28 Plants with most pistillate spikes on obvious elongated stems; culms shorter than or longer than the leaves.
                                                            29 Upper leaves with blades > 2 cm long, longer than the sheaths
                                                            29 Upper leaves bladeless or with blades < 1 cm long and also shorter than the sheaths