Plants cespitose or not, short-rhizomatous. Culms red, purple, or brown at base. Leaves: basal sheaths fibrous; sheath fronts membranous; blades V-shaped in cross section when young, smooth or papillose. Inflorescences racemose with 2–5(–9) spikes; proximal bracts leaflike or filiform, sheathless; lateral spikes pistillate or, rarely, androgynous in C. microchaeta, pedunculate, prophyllate; terminal spike staminate. Proximal pistillate scales black or dark brown, not leaflike, less than 5 mm, apex acuminate or shortly awned. Perigynia erect or ascending, veinless or weakly veined on faces, with 2, strong, marginal veins, sessile, ovate, obovate, or nearly circular, compressed-trigonous or almost flattened in cross section, base rounded, apex beaked, smooth or papillose, glabrous; beak 0.3–0.5 mm, entire, emarginate, or bidentate. Stigmas 3. Achenes trigonous, filling 1/2 or less of perigynia bodies; style deciduous.

Distribution

w North America, Asia (Russian Far East, Japan).

Discussion

Species 11 (4 in the flora).

Selected References

Murray, D. F. 1970. Carex podocarpa and its allies in North America. Canad. J. Bot. 48: 313–324.

Lower Taxa

Carex microchaeta, Carex paysonis, Carex podocarpa, Carex spectabilis

Key

1	Perigynia broadly ovate or obovate to circular, smooth.	Carex paysonis
1	Perigynia ovate or narrowly ovate, papillose.	> 2
2	Leaves basal, proximal leaves with blades.	Carex microchaeta
2	Leaves basal and cauline, proximal leaves reduced to sheaths.	> 3
3	Lateral spikes pendent, long-pedunculate.	Carex podocarpa
3	Lateral spikes: proximal one pendent and distal ones erect or spreading, short-pedunculate.	Carex spectabilis