X
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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.
  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
               8 Spikes androgynous or entirely pistillate; beak of perigynium with apex entire, emarginate, or with teeth < 0.2 mm long.
                   10 Perigynium beak < 2 mm long, or if more, then tapering to the perigynium body and shorter than the body.

Key to Carex, Key C: Subkey in 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.
  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.
                 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).
                                             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.
                                                      26 Spikes not consistently androgynous, the terminal either entirely staminate or pistillate, the lateral spikes irregularly pistillate, or staminate, or mixed