Carex is a subgenus of the sedge genus Carex.

It is the largest of the four traditionally recognised subgenera, containing around 1400 of the 2000 species in the genus.

[1] Its members are characterised by the presence of one or more exclusively male (staminate) terminal spikes, quite dissimilar in appearance from the lateral female (pistillate) spikes below.

[2] In most species, the female flowers have three stigmas, but a few species, including Carex nigra, have female flowers with only two stigmas.

This Carex article is a stub.