Plants cespitose, short-rhizomatous. Culms yellowbrown at base. Leaves: basal sheaths not or slightly fibrous, long-persistent; sheath fronts membranous; blades filiform, glabrous. Inflorescence a single spike; bracts absent; spike androgynous. Pistillate scales less than 10 mm, apex obtuse to subacute. Perigynia erect or ascending, obscurely veined, substipitate, obovate or elliptic, planoconvex, 3–5 mm, 1.5–2.5 times as long as wide, base ± tapering, margins acutely angled, apex gradually or abruptly beaked, glabrous; beak 0.2–5 mm, with abaxial suture, emarginate. Stigmas 2 (–3). Achenes biconvex or, occasionally, trigonous, smaller than the bodies of perigynia; style deciduous.

Distribution

North America, Eurasia

Discussion

Species 2 (1 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Carex nardina

"shortened" is not a number.