Plants cespitose, stout-rhizomatous. Culms brown [purple-] or red-brown at base, sharply angled or winged. Leaves: basal sheaths not fibrous; sheath fronts membranous, pubescent; blades M-shaped in cross section when young, adaxial side of blade with 2, lateral, veins more prominent than midvein, septate-nodulose, larger blades 8–23 mm wide, not hairy, sometimes scabrous on adaxial surface [or puberulous]. Inflorescences racemose, with 4–8(–9) spikes; proximal nonbasal bracts leaflike, sheathless or sheath less than 4 mm, pubescent; lateral spikes pistillate, pedunculate, prophyllate; terminal spike staminate (rarely gynecandrous). Proximal pistillate scales with apex acute or awned. Perigynia ascending or spreading, veined or veinless, with 2, strong, marginal veins, slightly stipitate, [ovate to lance- or oblong-ovate] obovate, rounded-trigonous in cross section, less than 10 mm, base tapering or rounded, apex abruptly contracted to beak, glabrous or scabrous; beak conic, recurved, 0.7–1.9 mm, orifice hyaline, erose or bidentate, teeth less than 0.8 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes trigonous, almost as large as bodies of perigynia; style deciduous.

Distribution

Primarily temperate, some tropical and subtropical, North America, e Asia, Australia.

Discussion

Species ca. 20 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Carex amplifolia, Carex scabrata

Key

1	Perigynia 2-ribbed and strongly 6–8-veined, scabrous-puberulent; leaf blades and bracts dark green, prominently scabrous on margins and adaxial surface; culm bases brownish; e North America.	Carex scabrata
1	Perigynia 2-ribbed, otherwise veinless or inconspicuously 1–7-veined, glabrous; leaf blades and bracts light green or grayish blue-green-green, (at least the faces) glabrous; culm bases usually red tinged; w North America.	Carex amplifolia