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.

Distribution

Southeastern coastal plain, interior low plateau, and Piedmont plateau provinces of North America.

Discussion

Species 3 (3 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Carex glaucescens, Carex joorii, Carex verrucosa

Key

1	Perigynia prominently 6–8-veined; pistillate scale apex acute.	Carex joorii
1	Perigynia indistinctly veined or veinless; pistillate scales retuse.	> 2
2	Faces of perigynia weakly veined; achenes rhomboid, length and width equal; leaves glabrous or sparsely scabrous on margins and abaxial surface.	Carex verrucosa
2	Faces of the perigynia veinless or indistinctly 3–4-veined on each face; achenes ellipsoid, longer than wide; leaves strongly scabrous on margins and abaxial surface.	Carex glaucescens