Lisa A. Standley

Carex sect. Pendulinae Fries

Plants densely cespitose, in large clumps, short-rhizomatous; rhizomes brown or black, without yellow-brown felty covering. Culms reddish purple at base. Leaves: basal sheaths sometimes fibrous; sheath fronts reddish or green, veined, herbaceous; blades with 2 lateral adaxial veins more prominent than midvein, M-shaped in cross section when young, glabrous or scabrous, strongly glaucous. Inflorescences racemose, with 5–8 spikes; proximal bracts leaflike, long-sheathing, sheath shorter than diameter of stem; lateral spikes pistillate or some androgynous, pendent, pedunculate, prophyllate; terminal spikes usually staminate. Proximal pistillate scales with apex acute to acuminate or awned, awn to 3.5 mm; staminate scales awned. Perigynia divergent or ascending, weakly to strongly veined on faces, with 2 strong marginal veins, usually sessile, elliptic or ovate, trigonous in cross section, base tapering, apex abruptly beaked, glabrous, papillose; beak less than 5 mm, erose-ciliate to very shortly bidentate. Stigmas 3. Achenes trigonous, smaller than bodies of perigynia; style deciduous.

Species 3 (3 in the flora): southeastern coastal plain, interior low plateau, and Piedmont plateau provinces of North America.

Lower Taxa

• Carex glaucescens Elliott
• Carex joorii L. H. Bailey
• Carex verrucosa Muhlenberg