Carex sect. Spirostachyae

Carex sect. Spirostachyae is a section of the genus Carex, containing 38 species of sedge. Species in Carex sect. Spirostachyae share a suite of features, including the short internodes of the primary rhizomes, the presence of an antiligule, the leaf-like, sheathing bract at the base of the inflorescence, the presence of three stigmas in female flowers, and the shape of the seeds.

The section is composed of two subsections, with differing edaphic preferences; subsection Elatae comprises species that lives on acidic soils, while those in subsection Spirostachyae live on basic or ultramafic soils. The two sections also differ morphologically, with species in subsection Elatae having wider leaves, thicker stems and larger spikes, the lowest of which may hang downwards.

The centre of diversity of the group is in Europe and adjacent parts of Africa and Asia; a few species occur in Australia, Africa, South America and on oceanic islands. The three species present in North America are introductions.

• Carex aethiopica <small>Schkuhr</small> – South Africa
• Carex binervis <small>Sm.</small> – western Europe
• Carex borbonica <small>Lam.</small> – Mascarene Islands
• Carex boryana <small>Schkuhr</small> – Mascarene Islands
• Carex camposii <small>Boiss. & Reut.</small> – southern Spain
• Carex catharinensis <small>Boeck.</small> – southeastern Brazil
• Carex clavata <small>Thunb.</small> – South Africa
• Carex cyrtosaccus <small>C. B. Clarke</small> – Tanzania, Malawi
• Carex elgonensis <small>Nelmes</small> – Mount Elgon
• Carex fischeri <small>K. Schum.</small> – central Africa
• Carex fissirostris <small>Ball</small> – Atlas Mountains, Morocco
• Carex fuscula <small>d'Urv.</small> – Chile, Argentina
• Carex gunniana <small>Boot.</small> – southeastern Australia
• Carex helodes <small>Link</small> – southern Spain and Portugal, northern Morocco
• Carex hochstetteriana <small>J. Gay ex Seub.</small> – Azores
• Carex laevigata <small>Sm.</small> – western Europe, Morocco
• Carex petitiana <small>A. Rich.</small> – central Africa
• Carex lowei <small>Bech.</small> – Madeira
• Carex mairii <small>Coss. & Germ.</small> – France, Spain, northern Morocco
• Carex mannii <small>E. A. Bruce</small> – central Africa
• Carex mildbraediana <small>Kük.</small> – Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya
• Carex modesti <small>M.Escudero, Martín-Bravo & Jim.Mejías</small> – Tanzania
• Carex paulo-vargasii <small>Luceño & Marín</small> – Morocco
• Carex perraudieriana <small>J. Gay</small> – Canary Islands
• Carex punctata <small>Gaud.</small> – Europe, Morocco, western Asia
• Carex simensis <small>Hochst. ex A. Rich.</small> – central Africa
• Carex thouarsii <small>Carmich.</small> – Tristan da Cunha
• Carex vallis-rosetto <small>K. Schum.</small> – Kenya, Tanzania

• Carex blakei <small>Nelmes</small> – southeastern Australia
• Carex burchelliana <small>Boeck.</small> – South Africa
• Carex diluta <small>M. Bieb.</small> – central and western Asia
• Carex distans <small>L.</small> – Europe, North Africa, central and western Asia
• Carex ecklonii <small>Nees</small> – South Africa
• Carex extensa <small>Good.</small> – Europe and Mediterranean Basin
• Carex idaea <small>Greuter et al.</small> – Crete
• Carex lainzii <small>Luceño, E. Rico & T. Romero</small> – central Spain
• Carex tasmanica <small>Kük.</small> – Tasmania
• Carex troodi <small>Turril</small> – Cyprus
• Carex vixdentata <small>(Kük.) G. A. Wheeler</small> – South America

References

Further reading