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Note: Perigynia are more narrow than others.

Culms are often shorter- down in the leaves.

Carex vulpinoidea

Fox Sedge

OBL

This species and C. brachyglossa are distinguised by their long, slender, interrupted inflorescences with conspicuous setaceous bracts subtending most of the spikes. C. vulpinoides differs from C. brachyglossa in its greenish or stramineous, narrower perigynia with beaks more than 0.7mm long, and its leaves usually as long as or longer than the culm.

C. vulpinoidea is one of the most widespread species of Carex in North America. It is also probably the most common Carex in Illinois.

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Note: Perigynia aren't as narrow as others, beak is shorter.

Carex annectens v. xanthocarpa (Carex brachyglossa)

Yellow Fox Sedge

FACW

Differs from C. vulpinoidea in yellow or golden brown parigynia, leaves shorter than culm, and slightly shorter beak of the parigynium. 

Carex stipata

Prickly Sedge

OBL

This sedge is found throughout most of the United States. It is easily identified by its long, slender, spongy-based perigynia and its spongy, strongly 3-angled culms. 

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Note: Perigynia margin is finely toothed.

Carex tribuloides

Blunt Broom Sedge

FACW+

This species is found in nearly every type of wetland habitat in the state. It is distinguished by its crowded spikelets, very narrow peryginia, and leaves that are at least 3mm broad. The peryginia are always less than 2mm wide, and cuneate rather than rounded at the base. The spikes are longer than broad. 

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Note: neck of perigynia has a crimp.

Carex cristatella

Crested or Round-spiklet Sedge

FACW+

This species is distinguished by its globose spikes, outward curving peryginia that obscure the pistillate scales, and peryginia less than 2mm wide that taper to the base.

While this species usually has a crouded inflorescence, rare plants are found in which the spikes are separated into a moniliform inflorescence. These moniliform plants resemble C. projecta, but the lowest spikes are not clearly separated as they are in C. projecta.

Carex normalis

Sedge

FACW

C. normalis is distinguished by the numerous sterile culms, by its peryginia that are up to 2.1mm wide and winged to that base, and by its spikes that are about as wide as they are long. This species is variable with respect to leaf width, peryginia length, and arrangement of spikes in the onflorescense. The spikes range from being crowded to somewhat separated to remote and moniliform. Specimens with moniliform spikes have been called f. perlonga.

Carex brevior

Fescue Sedge

FAC

C. brevior is distinguished by its large, orbicular perigynia that are essentially nervless on their inner face. It differs from C. suberecta is its spreading perigynia. It is sometimes difficult to separate C. brevior from C. molesta with which it seems to intergrade. In general, the inner face of the perigynium os C. brevior is nervless, while the inner face of the perygnium of C. molesta is finely nerved.

Carex molesta

Troublesome Sedge

FAC

This is one of the more confusing species if section Ovales. Its globose spikelets resemple those of C. cristatella, but all of the peryginia of C. molesta are ascending. C. molesta is also similar to C. brevior, but C. molesta generally does not have quite orbicular perydinia, and the inner face of each peryginum is finely nerved.

Carex bicknellii

Prairie Sedge or Bicknell's Sedge

FAC-

Has the largest perigynia of any member of the section Ovales except C. muskingumensis. Perigynia are widest below the middle and strongly nerved on both faces. 

Carex bushii

Bush's Sedge

FACW

This species is very similar in appearance to C. caroliniana and C. hirsutella. It differs from C. caroliniana in its hairy leaves and from C. hirsutella in its perigynia, which are rounded on all faces instead of being flat on the inner surface.

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Note: Single, sessile, staminate spike.

Carex granularis

Meadow Sedge

FACW+

C. granularis is recognized by its single, sessile, staminate spike; its short-cylindric pistillate spikes with densly crowded peryginia; and its somewhat glaucous appearance. It differs from var. haleana in its slightly thicker pistillate spikes and its larger and broader perigynia.

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Note: short stalked staminate spike.

Carex grisea

 Sedge

UPL

Carex grisea differs from the similar C. amphibola in its shorter stature; softer leaves; short-stalked staminate spike; and larger inflated perigynia. 

Carex blanda

woodland sedge

FAC

C. blanda & C. gracilescens always have perigynia with distinctly curved beaks. The base of the culms in C. blanda is purplish.

Carex frankii

Frank's Sedge

OBL

This common species of low, moist areas, along with C. squarrosa and C. typhina, are grouped together in group Squarrosae. All three species have obconic of obovoid perigynia that are abruptly contracted to a beak. C. frankii differs from the other two it its usually entirely staminate terminal spike. The bracts are often so long as to obscure the spikes.

Carex squarrosa

Squarrose Sedge

OBL

This species is similar in appearance to C. typhina, but the pistallate scales of C. squarrosa are acuminate to cuspidate, while those of C. typhina are obtuse. C. frankii, which is somewhat similar, usually has a separated terminal staminate spike. 

Carex lacustris

Lake Sedge or River Sedge

OBL

This stout species is very similar to C. hyalinolepis but differn in its reddish or purple, bladeless, lower sheath and its strongly nerved peryginia. The leaves of this species are glaucus, at least on the lower surface. There are 2-5 staminate spikes and 2-3 appressed pistillate spikes.

Carex grayi

Gray's Sedge or Bur Sedge

FACW+

Within the section Lupulinae, C. grayi and C. intumescens are very closely related. They both have achenes with rounded angles and flat to convex sides, perigynia with beaks that are at most only a third the length of the entire perigynia, and pistillate spikes that are about as wide as they are long. C. grayi may be distinguished from C. intumescens by the cuneate base of the perigynium and the perigynia radiating at all angles from the center of the pistilate spike.

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Note: gynecanderous or pistillate spikes, compressed perigynia.

Carex shortiana

Short's sedge

FACW+

This distinctive species is recognized by its cylindrical, squarrose spikes that are gynecanderous or pistillate and by its compressed-obovoid perigynia that turn dark brown at maturity.