Culms 10–110 cm. Leaves 3–5 per culm; sheaths tight, inner band hyaline, 3.5–24 cm, apex concave, glabrous; ligules rounded to obtuse, 0.5–3.7 mm; blades plicate, 8–60 cm × 0.4–4 (–4.5) mm, widest leaf 0.8–4 (–4.5) mm wide. Inflorescences 0.8–5.5 cm; spikes 2–8; lateral spikes pistillate often with a few staminate flowers proximally, 3.1–13.1 mm, sessile, staminate portion 10-flowered, to 6.5 mm, pistillate portion 3–40-flowered, 2.5–12 mm; basal 2 spikes 1.5–18 mm apart; terminal spike gynecandrous, 4.8–23.7 mm, staminate portion 2–21-flowered, 1.8–13.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm, pistillate portion 4–38-flowered, 3–11 × 4.4–7.5 mm. Pistillate scales ovate to ± suborbicular, 1.2–2.4 × 1.2–2 mm, apex obtuse to acute. Staminate scales ovatelanceolate to ovate, 1.3–3.5 × 0.8–1.4 mm, base clavate, apex acute to obtuse. Anthers 0.6–1.5 (–1.8) mm. Perigynia spreading to reflexed, green, 6–13-veined abaxially, (0–) 1–12-veined adaxially over achene, broadly ovate to suborbicular, cuneate or concavely tapered from widest point to beak, 1.9–3.8 × (1.3–) 2.1–3 mm, 1.1–1.7 (–1.9) times as long as wide; beak 0.45–1.25 mm, 0.23–0.5 (–0.63) length of body, serrulate, teeth 0.15–0.45 mm. Achenes deltate to rhombic-orbiculate, 1–1.9 × 1–1.7 mm.

Distribution

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• Legacy Map

N.S., Ont., Que., Ala., Ark., Conn., D.C., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., La., Maine, Mass., Md., Mich., Miss., Mo., N.C., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., Vt., W.Va.

Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Carex atlantica subsp. atlantica, Carex atlantica subsp. capillacea

Key

1	Widest leaves 1.6–4(–4.5) mm wide; inflorescences usually (1.5–)1.8–5.5 cm; perigynia 2.3–3.8 mm.	Carex atlantica subsp. atlantica
1	Widest leaves (0.65–)0.8–1.6 wide; inflorescences usually 0.8–2 cm; perigynia 1.9–3 mm.	Carex atlantica subsp. capillacea

"shortened" is not a number.