Plants loosely or densely cespitose, short-rhizomatous; rhizomes dark brown, stout, sometimes inconspicuous. Culms brown at base. Leaves: basal sheaths not fibrous; sheath fronts membranous; blades V-shaped in cross section when young, 1.5–4 mm wide, glabrous. Inflorescences a solitary spike; bracts absent; spike androgynous. Proximal pistillate scales deciduous before perigyinia, apex obtuse to acute. Perigynia erect but eventually spreading, proximal somewhat reflexed at maturity, veinless, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, rounded-trigonous to biconvex, 3–5 mm, base rounded and stipitate, margins rounded, apex tapering to gradually formed beak, somewhat glossy, glabrous; beak less than 2 mm including teeth, obliquely cleft, sometimes slightly bidentate. Stigmas (2–)3. Achenes usually trigonous, smaller than bodies of perigynia; style deciduous.

Distribution

North America, Eurasia.

Discussion

Species 5 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Carex micropoda, Carex nigricans

Key

1	Plants densely cespitose, without conspicuous rhizomes, tuft-forming; leaf blades involute, 0.25–1.5(–2) mm wide.	Carex micropoda
1	Plants loosely cespitose, with short, stout rhizomes, mat-forming; leaf blades flat to the tip, (1.5–)2–4 mm wide.	Carex nigricans