Plants cespitose, shortly or inconspicuously rhizomatous. Culms brown at base. Leaves: basal sheaths somewhat fibrous; sheath fronts membranous; blades V-shaped in cross-section when young, glabrous. Inflorescences racemose, with 6–15 spikes; proximal bracts leaflike, sheathless, longest bract 5–20 (–25) cm, at least (3–) 5 times as long as inflorescence, lateral spikes gynecandrous, sessile, without prophylls; terminal spike gynecandrous. Proximal pistillate scales with apex acuminate to awned. Perigynia ascending, linear, flat, faintly veined on both faces, substipitate, base tapering, margins narrowly winged to (0.1–) 0.2 mm wide, apex tapering to beak, glabrous; beak with inconspicuous abaxial suture, apex bidentate. Stigmas 2. Achenes biconvex, smaller than bodies of perigynia; style deciduous, base persistent, not conspicuously enlarged.

Distribution

North America, Eurasia

Discussion

Species 2 (1 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Carex sychnocephala

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