Sedges: Carex is the fourteenth vol­ume of the Illustrated Flora of Illinois series and the sixth and last volume devoted to monocots--plants that have a single seed leaf, or coty­ledon, upon germination.

 

Since the volume's original publica­tion in 1999, thirty-four additional species of plants have been recog­nized in Illinois. Some are discover­ies from recent field work, some are from more thorough searches of herbaria, and others are from differ­ent taxonomic philosophies.

 

For each species of Carex in Illinois, there is a full illustration showing the habit of the plant and close-ups of various vegetative and reproduc­tive structures that are crucial for the identification of the individual species. There is also a complete description of each species as well as a detailed discussion of the no­menclature and habitats. Range maps show the county distribution of each species in Illinois. A new and detailed key is provided for identification of the species.