Carex, Dumort.

Koopman, Jacob, Więcław, Helena & Kobierski, Piotr, 2022, Carex section Ammoglochin (Cyperaceae) in Poland, Phytotaxa 575 (1), pp. 1-34 : 23

Key to identification of species within section Ammoglochin and Carex disticha

When constructing the key, both data from Poland and other European countries have been taken into account (plants collected during fieldwork in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Armenia, Bulgaria) as well as herbarium material from B—Berlin-Dahlem, DE; L—Leiden, NL and W—Vienna, AT).

1a. All spikes with female flowers at the top ......................................................................................................................................... 2

1b. At least one spike with male flowers at the top ................................................................................................................................ 6

2a. Utricles usually more than 4 mm long, conspicuously veined ......................................................................................................... 3

2b. Utricles usually less than 4 mm long, obscurely veined .................................................................................................................. 4

3a. Leaves 1–2 mm wide, shorter than the stems; female glumes reddish-brown with pale or green midrib and hyaline margins.......... .................................................................................................................................................................................... Carex colchica

3b. Leaves 2–3 mm wide, exceeding stems; female glumes pale, whitish with green midrib ............................ Carex pseudobrizoides

4a. Leaves not more than ½ as long as the stems; later in the season the leaves get more elongated and may exceed the fruiting stems; spikes dark brown; spikes straight; utricles usually less than 3.5 mm, narrowing suddenly into the beak ................ Carex praecox

4b. Leaves exceeding the stems; at least the middle spikes usually slightly curved; utricles usually more than 3.5 mm, tapering into the beak ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

5a. Spikes pale whitish-cream; utricles narrow, not wider than 1.5–2 mm; ratio of utricle length/utricle width around 3.6 ................... ................................................................................................................................................................................... Carex brizoides

5b. Spikes light brown; utricles more than 2.4 mm wide; ratio of utricle length/utricle width around 2.8 ...................... Carex curvata

6a. Middle spikes entirely male ........................................................................................................................................ Carex disticha

6b. Middle spikes with both male and female flowers ........................................................................................................................... 7

7a. Middle spikes with female flowers above and male below ........................................................................... Carex pseudobrizoides

7b. Middle spikes with male flowers above and female below, sometimes all spikes with female flowers at the top .......................... 8

8a. Utricles broad, 1.80–2.38 mm, conspicuously veined; nuts well-developed ............................................................ Carex arenaria

8b. Utricles narrow, 1.30–1.50 mm, obscurely veined; nuts seldom well-developed ........................................................ Carex repens