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Key to Carex, [26bbb] Section 39 Acrocystis: section Acrocystis (Montanae)

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Show caption*© Scott Ward 1 Primary culm accompanied by pistillate spikes borne on short or elongate peduncles from the same sheathed base (referred to as subradical or basal spikes).

2 Terminal staminate spikes alone or associated with a pistillate spike; lower pistillate scales acuminate, mostly exceeding the perigynium beak; perigynia lacking discernible papillae.

3 Perigynia (2.2-) 2.3-3.2 (-3.3) mm long; perigynium beaks (0.4-) 0.5-0.9 mm long; young leaves long, thin and flexuous  Carex umbellata

3 Perigynia (3.0-) 3.1-4.7 mm long; perigynium beaks (0.9-) 1.0-2.1 mm long; young leaves variable.

4 Perigynium body usually pubescent; young leaves long, thin and flexuous  Carex rugosperma

4 Perigynium body essentially glabrous, with a few hairs on the angles of the beak only; young leaves short, broad and rigid  Carex tonsa

2 Terminal staminate spikes usually with at least one approximate pistillate spike; lower pistillate scales acute, mostly shorter than the perigynium beak; perigynia distinctly papillate, at least at the base of the beak (except C. deflexa).

5 Staminate spikes 3.2-5.6 mm long; perigynia with broadly deltoid beaks, coarse spreading trichomes, and indiscernible papillae; basal spikes 0-1 (-2)  Carex deflexa

5 Staminate spikes 3.6-16.8 mm long; perigynia with narrow beaks, finer spreading trichomes, and papillae evident; basal spikes 1-2 (-3).

6 Perigynium body elliptic, with adaxial and abaxial surfaces lacking hairs (some often present on angles of the beak only), papillae prominent; [se. Coastal Plain]  Carex austrodeflexa

6 Perigynium body round-elliptic, with adaxial and abaxial surfaces pubescent, papillae concentrated mostly below the beak; [ne. North America and southern Appalachians].

7 Staminate spikes large, 6.8-16.8 × 1.0-2.9 mm, exceeding adjacent pistillate spikes by 4.7-16.5 mm, peduncles 3.5-13.5 mm long; culm bracts setaceous, 0.1-0.3 mm wide, and mostly shorter than the inflorescence.

8 Culms much shorter than longest seasonal (green) leaf; primary culms with 0-1 (very rarely 2) pistillate spikes; staminate spikes 6.8-11.0 × 1.0-1.7 mm; adaxial perigynium body with spreading hairs; [ultramafic fens of nw. NC & sw. VA]  Carex species 3

8 Culms subequal to exceeding longest seasonal (green) leaf; primary culms with 1-2 pistillate spikes; staminate spikes 8.0-16.8 × 1.0-2.9 mm; adaxial perigynium body with fine sub-appressed hairs; [granitic seepages; escarpment of nw. NC mountains]  Carex species 4

7 Staminate spikes smaller, 3.6-9.0 × 0.7-1.5 mm, exceeding adjacent pistillate spikes by 1.3-8.9 mm, peduncles 0.9-3.9 mm long; culm bracts broad or setaceous, 0.3-0.8 mm wide, shorter than to exceeding the inflorescence.

9 Primary culms to 20.2 cm tall; longest staminate spikes 4.1--9.0 mm long; [s. Appalachian]  Carex species 5

9 Primary culms to 13.5 cm tall; longest staminate spikes 3.6--6.2 mm long; [disjunct south to WV]  Carex species 8

Show caption*© Scott Ward 1 Primary culm solitary (i.e., lacking additional basal spikes originating from the same sheaths, excepting hybrids); however, some taxa may exhibit deceptively short individual culms (e.g., C. emmonsii, C. nigromarginata, C. reznicekii).

10 Body of the perigynium subglobose to obovoid, usually about as wide as long; achene angles broadly rounded.

11 Plants cespitose; leaves 0.9-4.7 mm wide; perigynium body pubescent, often with weak veins on the adaxial surface.

12 Lowest proximal pistillate bract often shorter than the large, 3.5-15.5 mm long, terminal staminate spike; widest leaves usually > 3.0 mm wide; perigynia beaks narrow, surfaces papillate, often with weak veins on the adaxial surface  Carex communis

12 Lowest proximal pistillate bract often exceeding the small, 3.2-5.6 mm long, terminal staminate spike; widest leaves typically < 3.0 mm wide; perigynia beaks deltoid, surfaces lacking easily discernible papillae and veins  Carex deflexa

11 Plants with long rhizomes, forming clonal patches; leaves 1.0-3.0 (-3.5) mm wide; perigynium body pubescent to nearly glabrous.

13 Larger perigynia 1.7-2.2 mm wide, papillae indiscernible under dense whitish trichomes; upper staminate scales acuminate to long-acuminate  Carex heliophila

13 Larger perigynia 1.2-1.7 mm wide; upper staminate scales acute to acuminate, papillae evident or not.

14 Beak of perigynium (0.8-) 1.3-2.0 (-2.4) mm long; perigynium body pubescent or nearly glabrous, with or without papillae.

15 Beak of the perigynium 1.1-2.4 mm long; widest leaf 1.3-2.3 (-3.7) mm wide; perigynium glabrous to sparsely pubescent over the body, papillae usually absent; culm nearly smooth; [of VA, WV, and KY southward]  Carex austrolucorum

15 Beak of the perigynium 0.8-1.9 mm long; widest leaf 1.9-4.4 mm wide; perigynium usually moderately to densely pubescent over the body (rarely glabrate), papillae usually present; culm often scabrous; [of MD, NJ, and PA northward]  Carex lucorum

14 Beak of perigynium (0.2-) 0.5-0.9 (-1.3) mm long; perigynium body pubescent and papillate.

16 Beak of perigynium (0.5-) 0.6-1.3 mm long; hairs at base of the beak and below densely short-retrorse only on both surfaces; [high elevations of the s. Appalachians]  Carex species 6

16 Beak of perigynium (0.3-) 0.5-0.9 mm long; hairs at the base of the beak antrorse and those below either spreading, antrorse, or with retrorse hairs largely confined to one surface; [collectively more widespread].

17 Widest leaves to 2.9 mm or greater; proximal bracts leaf-like; perigynia 2.3-3.7 mm long x 1.1-1.7 mm wide  Carex pensylvanica

17 Widest leaves to 2.2 mm; proximal bracts setaceous; perigynia 2.2-3.2 mm long x 0.8-1.4 mm wide  Carex species 7

10 Body of the perigynium ellipsoid, distinctly longer than wide; achene angles narrow to slightly rounded.

18 Plants with conspicuously long rhizomes, forming clonal patches; perigynia typically papillate; [collectively of the Coastal Plain and, less commonly, Piedmont].

19 Achene body (1.1-) 1.2-1.3 (-1.4) mm long, trigonous; fertile culms 20-43 cm tall, equaling or exceeding the leaves; basal sheaths usually not fibrillose; pistillate scales (2.3-) 2.6-3.0 (-3.4) mm long  Carex albicans var. australis

19 Achene body (1.4-) 1.5-1.7 (-2.0) mm long, biconvex, trigonous, or both; fertile culms 7-17 cm tall, usually much shorter than the leaves; basal sheaths usually very fibrillose; pistillate scales (2.7-) 3.0-3.7 (-4.2) mm long  Carex floridana

18 Plants cespitose (sometimes loosely so from slender rhizomes in C. novae-angliae and C. peckii); perigynia papillae not evident to rather conspicuous; [collectively widespread in our area].

20 Pistillate scales usually shorter than the body of the mature perigynia they subtend, perigynia without easily discernible papillae, lowermost 2 pistillate spikes remote, several separated by > 7 mm, staminate spike often elevated above pistillate spikes; leaves thin, delicate 0.7-1.5 mm wide  Carex novae-angliae

20 Pistillate scales mostly longer than the body of the mature perigynia they subtend, perigynia with discernible papillae, lowermost 2 pistillate spikes overlapping, usually separated by < 7 mm, staminate spike often closely associated with pistillate spikes; leaves various.

21 Plants slender-rhizomatous; pistillate scales longer than the mature perigynium body; perigynia surfaces villous, papillae obscured  Carex peckii

21 Plants cespitose; pistillate scales shorter than the mature perigynium body; perigynia surfaces short pubescent to glabrate, papillae conspicuous.

22 Achene body (1.3-) 1.4-1.6 (-1.7) mm long; fertile culms mostly 2-20 cm tall; pistillate scales 2.6-4.3 mm long.

Show caption*© Scott Ward Show caption*© Scott Ward                                                23 Culms usually variable in length, (4.5-) 6.6-38 (-51) cm tall; widest leaf (1.9-) 2.3-4.5 mm wide; at least some pistillate scales often with reddish to purplish/black color below the distal tip extending laterally from near the margin to the green or brown longitudinal mid-stripe on either side of midvein  Carex nigromarginata

Show caption*© Scott Ward Show caption*© Scott Ward                                                23 Culms subequal in length, height 1.9-9.9 (-13.7) cm tall, widest leaf 1.2-2.2 (-2.5) mm wide; any reddish color on pistillate scales below the distal tip not extending laterally from near the margin to the green or brown longitudinal mid-stripe on either side of midvein  Carex reznicekii

22 Achene body (0.9-) 1.2-1.3 (-1.5) mm long; fertile culms mostly 17-35 cm tall; pistillate scales 2.0-3.4 mm long.

24 Scales of the median portion of the staminate spike with obtuse apices and with minute teeth rarely present on the midrib; staminate spike (7.8-) 8.0-12.5 (-13.5) mm long with peduncles mostly 1.0-6.0 mm; culms erect, subequal to the leaves; [mostly of loamy or clayey soils of the Piedmont and Mountains]  Carex albicans var. albicans

24 Scales of the median portion of the staminate spike with acute-acuminate to aristate apices and with minute teeth usually present on the midrib; staminate spike (1.6-) 3.6-8.5 (-9.1) mm long with peduncles mostly 0.3-1.9 mm, exceeding uppermost pistillate spikes by 1.1-5.9 mm; culms lax to erect, often shorter than and curving under the leaves; [mostly of acid, sandy soils of the Coastal Plain]  Carex emmonsii