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Key to Carex, Key C: Subkey in Carex

Cyperaceae

Carex

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  2 Lateral spikes usually pedunculate; lowermost inflorescence bracts sometimes with sheath; peduncles with prophyll at base.
    3 Terminal spike gynecandrous, pistillate flowers as many as or more numerous than staminate; lateral spikes short, not much longer than wide; fresh perigynia white-pulverulent
    3 Terminal spike usually staminate or, sometimes, gynecandrous, staminate flowers then more numerous than pistillate; lateral spikes oblong, distinctly longer than wide; fresh perigynia green or slightly glaucous.
© Melanie Flood
(c) Goldman, Douglas - CC-BY-SA
      4 Pistillate scales (at least the lower) long-awned
  2 Lateral spikes sessile; bracts sheathless; peduncles without (or rarely with) a prophyll
          6 Perigynia papillose (visible at 20× magnification).
                       12 Margins of perigynia flat, at least in the upper ½, flat portion (measured at the tip of the achene and base of beak) > (0.1-) 0.2 mm wider
                       12 Margins of perigynia rounded, or with flat portion < 0.1 mm wide.
                            14 Margins of perigynia sharply edged or narrowly winged; achenes distinctly smaller than the perigynium bodies.
(c) Ward, Scott G
               8 Terminal spike androgynous (rarely entirely staminate or entirely pistillate); lateral spikes androgynous, staminate, or pistillate.
                 9 Sheath fronts of lower cauline leaves transversely rugose.
                   10 Perigynia mostly < 2× as long as wide, widest near middle.
                     11 Inflorescence usually branched, at least at the base, usually with > 15 spikes; pistillate scales usually yellow or brown, sometimes with hyaline margins, 3-veined
                 9 Sheath fronts of lower cauline leaves smooth (or very weakly and indistinctly transversely rugose).
(c) Danielson, Erik
                                    18 Fronts of leaf sheaths dotted red, brown, or yellow.
(c) Berger, Matt - CC-BY
                                             22 Upper leaves of culms with front of sheaths with at least a narrow hyaline or whitish-hyaline band extending at least ½ the length of the sheath.
                                               23 Perigynia without a flat margin, or with a flat margin < 0.1 mm wide; plants short-rhizomatous or inconspicuously rhizomatous, cespitose or not, sometimes forming large colonies.