Plants cespitose or not, short to long rhizomatous, sometimes inconspicuously rhizomatous. Culms sometimes solitary, brown at base. Leaves: basal sheaths not fibrous; sheath fronts membranous; blades M-shaped in cross-section when young, adaxial side of blade with 2 lateral-veins more prominent than midvein, widest leaves not more than 10 mm wide, glabrous. Inflorescences racemose, with (2–) 3–6 spikes; proximal nonbasal bracts leaflike, long-sheathing, sheath more than 4 mm, longer than diameter of stem; lateral spikes pistillate or androgynous, rarely distal 1–3 spikes staminate, sometimes some basal, pedunculate, prophyllate; terminal spike staminate. Proximal pistillate scales with apex acute, acuminate, or short-awned. Perigynia ascending to spreading, minute redbrown or yellowish streaks and dots, distinctly veined, sessile, ellipsoid or rhomboid to broadly ovoid, obovoid, or subglobose, obscurely trigonous to round in cross-section, base rounded, apex rounded, abruptly beaked, glabrous; beak 0.1–0.9 mm, orifice entire to minutely bidentulate, teeth 0–0.3 mm. Stigmas 3. Achenes trigonous, smaller than bodies of perigynia; style deciduous.

Distribution

Temperate and subtropical regions of North America, s Mexico, Central America (Guatemala)

Discussion

Species 6 (4 in the flora).

Carex sect. Granulares is a monophyletic section diagnosed by at least three apormorphies: red-brown or yellowish cells scattered in the epidermis of the perigynia, often 25 or more perigynia per well-developed lateral spike, and perigynia loosely enveloping the achenes (R. F. C. Naczi 1992, 1997). Recent phylogenetic analyses indicate section Granulares is the sister group of a clade composed of sections Careyanae and Griseae (R. F. C. Naczi 1992).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Carex crawei, Carex gholsonii, Carex granularis, Carex microdonta

Key

1	Plants with short or inconspicuous rhizomes; culms in tufts; terminal spike and distal lateral spike usually overlapping; proximal spikes usually arising from distal 1/2 of culms.	> 2
1	Plants with long-creeping rhizomes; culms mostly solitary; terminal spike and distal lateral spike (unless staminate) usually separated; proximal spikes usually arising from proximal 1/2 of culms.	> 3
2	Leaves green, not glaucous; longest bract blade (per plant) of distal lateral spike 1.6–4.6(–7.1) cm; ligule of proximal bract 0.5–6.5 mm; perigynia (1.6–)1.9–3 times as long as thick.	Carex gholsonii
2	Leaves not green, usually glaucous; longest bract blade (per plant) of distal lateral spike 4.1–15.8 cm; ligule of proximal bract (2–)3–17.5(–26) mm; perigynia 1.4–2.2(–2.4) times as long as thick.	Carex granularis
3	Staminate scales with apex acute to awned; widest leaves 2.8–8.3 mm wide; perigynium beak 0.3–0.9 mm.	Carex microdonta
3	Staminate scales with apex rounded to obtuse; widest leaves 1.8–3(–4.4) mm wide; perigynium beak 0.1–0.3 mm.	Carex crawei

"shortened" is not a number.