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Key to Carex, Key A: Subkey in Carex

Cyperaceae

Carex

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(c) Bradley, Keith
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).
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
  2 Spike entirely staminate.
    3 Culms yellow to brown or black, without red or purple coloration.
(c) Ward, Scott G
(c) Loon, Chloe and Trevor Van - CC-BY
  2 Spike pistillate or with both pistillate and staminate flowers.
          6 Perigynia minutely but strongly and regularly serrulate on apical portion and beak, ± flattened; plants cespitose
(c) Ward, Scott G
               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
(c) Marcum, Paul
                   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.
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Key to Carex, Key E: Subkey in Carex

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1 Apex of perigynium beak with 2 teeth at least (0.4-) 0.5 mm long.
  2 Perigynia with 5+ distinct veins; at least proximal leaves septate-nodulose, rarely not.
    3 Perigynia with serrulate wing on margins; spikes usually 20+, sessile, pistillate or androgynous and similar in appearance, forming a dense, ovoid or oblong head, rarely with proximal spike separated
    3 Perigynia without wing on margins; spikes not more than 10, usually at least proximal shortly pedunculate, sometimes subsessile, distal and proximal spikes usually dissimilar in appearance, usually not crowded into a dense head.
      4 Pistillate scales obtuse to acuminate, awnless or at most with a rough apiculus.
        5 Staminate spikes usually 1-3+; perigynia 6-15 (-22)-veined, each 4-10 (-12.5) mm.
      4 Pistillate scales, at least some, with a scabrous awn.
                   10 Upper pistillate scales acute to short-awned, awn < ½ as long as the body.
                          13 Perigynium veined to tip of body and often into beak; widest leaves mostly > 4 mm wide.
1 Apex of perigynium beak entire, emarginate, or with 2 teeth < 0.5 mm long.
                                       19 Roots brown or black, without yellow-brown felty covering, rarely with white felty covering.
(c) Wrens, Sequoia Janirella - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
                                                 24 Perigynia with distinct beak 0.5-4 mm long.
                                                      26 Adaxial side of leaves with 2 marginal veins more prominent than midvein; young leaves M-shaped in cross section.
                                                      26 Adaxial side of leaves without 2 marginal veins more prominent than midvein; young leaves V-shaped or rounded in cross section.