25. Carex microdonta Torr. & Hook.

Pl. 36 h–j; Map 138

Plants with long-creeping rhizomes, forming loose colonies of tufts. Flowering stems 15–60 cm long, mostly longer than the leaves, bluntly trigonous, mostly smooth, brownish tinged at the base. Leaf blades 5–25 cm long, 3–6 mm wide, thick, often arched outward or spreading. Leaf sheaths shallowly convex at the tip, sometimes slightly extended past the insertion point of the blade, the ventral side thin, papery, and white, the ligule about as long as wide, the lowermost sheaths brownish tinged at the base. Staminate spike 20–40 mm long, with a long, sometimes roughened stalk, overtopping the uppermost pistillate spike and usually also the bracts. A small, staminate spike is sometimes present at the base of the terminal spike. Staminate scales 4.6–5.5 mm long, pointed at the tip. Pistillate spikes 2–4, loosely spaced nearly the entire length of the stem, 10–35 mm long, 5.5–7.5 mm wide, sessile or with short to occasionally long, roughened stalks. Pistillate scales 1.8–3.0 mm long, ovate, mostly sharply pointed at the tip, reddish brown with green midrib and tan to white margins. Perigynia ascending, 3.0–4.5 mm long, ovate to elliptic in outline, tapered abruptly to a short, conspicuous beak with 2 minute teeth at the tip, the surface with strongly raised nerves (ribs), green to olive green. Fruits 2.1–2.6 mm long, the minute beak usually strongly bent. 2n=32. April–June.

Uncommon in western and central Missouri (Florida to Texas north to Oklahoma and Kansas). Glades, upland prairies, and moist, open areas, on calcareous substrates.