Plants cespitose, short-rhizomatous. Culms brown at base. Leaves: basal sheaths ± fibrous; sheath fronts membranous; blades V-shaped in cross section when young, or filiform or channeled, widest leaves 1–4 mm, glabrous. Inflorescences racemose, with 3–6 spikes; proximal nonbasal bracts leaflike, often short, long-sheathing, sheath more than 4 mm, longer than diameter of stem; lateral spikes pistillate, spreading or pendent, pedunculate, peduncles longer than spikes (spikes erect or on short peduncles in artic and high mountain plants), prophyllate; terminal spike staminate, gynecandrous, or androgynous. Proximal pistillate scales with apex obtuse to acute. Perigynia ascending, not speckled red-brown, veinless except for 2, strong, marginal veins or weakly 2–10-veined, stipitate, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, obtusely trigonous in cross section, base rounded, apex contracted or tapering to beak, glabrous; beak 0.3–1 mm, margins entire or serrulate, orifice entire or subentire. Stigmas 3. Achenes trigonous, almost as large as perigynia, glabrous; style deciduous.

Distribution

Cool temperate, alpine, and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Discussion

Species ca. 8 (3 in the flora).

Selected References

Egorova, T. V. 1964. De caricibus sectionis Capillares notae criticae. Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 1: 31–48.

Löve, Á., D. Löve, and M. Raymond. 1957. Cytotaxonomy of Carex sect. Capillares. Canad. J. Bot. 35: 715–761.

Lower Taxa

Carex capillaris, Carex krauseorum, Carex williamsii

Key

1	Leaf blades not more than 1 mm wide, channeled; perigynia distinctly veined on faces; terminal spike androgynous or staminate.	Carex williamsii
1	Leaf blades (0.75–)1–4 mm wide, flat or, rarely, folded; perygynia with marginal veins, otherwise veinless on faces; terminal spike staminate or gynecandrous.	> 2
2	Terminal spike usually staminate; lateral spikes 2–4.	Carex capillaris
2	Terminal spike usually gynecandrous; lateral spikes usually 4–10.	Carex krausei