Carex gigantea Rudge

Plants loosely cespitose or not, long-rhizomatous. Culms solitary or not, erect, 35–120 cm. Leaves 4–8; basal sheaths reddish to brownish; sheath of distal leaf 5–20 cm; ligules triangular, 4.5–35 mm; blades 20–60 cm × 5–16 mm. Inflorescences 15–40 cm; peduncles of basal 2 pistillate spikes 5–20 cm apart; of terminal 3–8 cm shorter than to somewhat exceeding the distal pistillate spike; bracts leafy, sheath 0.5–5 cm, blades 30–60 cm × 6–11 mm. Spikes: proximal pistillate spikes 2–5 per culm, ± separate, 20–75-flowered, cylindric, 3–8 × 2–3 cm; terminal staminate spikes 1–5, 2–8 cm × 2–4 mm. Pistillate scales 3–5-veined, lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, 4.5–10.5 × 1.5–2 mm. Anthers 3, 2.8–5 mm. Perigynia stiffly spreading at right angles to rachis, lanceoloid to lance-ovoid, 11–18 × 4–6 mm, shiny, glabrous; beak conic, 6–9 mm. Achenes broadly stipitate, obconic with rounded to truncate summit and concave faces, angles strongly thickened, 2.2–2.6 × 2.7–3 mm; style same texture as achene.

Ala., Ark., Del., Fl., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., La., Md., Miss., Mo., N.C., Okla., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va.

Fruiting late spring–early summer.

Wet swamp forests, forest openings, open swamps; 0–400m.