1	"Female flowers apparently terminal, always only 1 per spikelet or inflorescence unit; outer 2 hypogynous scales folded, transverse, and keeled, ciliate or spinulose on the keel, unfused or sometimes connate on the adaxial side"	2
1	"Female flowers lateral and axillary, one to many in a spikelet; hypogynous scales absent or not as above if present"	8
2	"Leaves terete or reduced to sheaths, at base of stem only; inflorescence bracts terete but often broad and flattened at the base"	3
2	"Leaves flat, leafy, usually present along the stems as well as at the base; inflorescence bracts flat, leafy"	5
3	"Nut biconvex; style 2-branched; inflorescence spike-like"	"Lepironia {Lepironia articulata}"
3	"Nut globose or turbinate; style (2- to) 3- or 4-branched"	4
4	"Inflorescence fan-shaped; nut not ribbed"	"Chrysitrix {Chrysitrix distigmatosa}"
4	"Inflorescence globose, hemispherical, or ovoid; nut ribbed longitudinally"	Chorizandra
5	"Hypogynous scales 2"	Hypolytrum
5	"Hypogynous scales 4 to numerous"	6
6	"Nut with persistent, depressed-globose style base distinct from body of nut; nut much longer than spikelets"	"Exocarya {Exocarya scleroides}"
6	"Nut with persistent, usually elongate style base continuous with body; nut smaller than spikelets or equalling them"	7
7	"Nut deeply longitudinally grooved, 10-15 nun long"	"Scirpodendron {Scirpodendron ghaeri}"
7	"Nut not deeply grooved, less than 8 mm long"	"Mapania {Mapania macrocephala}"
8	"Flowers usually hermaphrodite, or with extra male flowers"	9
8	"Flowers unisexual"	58
9	"Spikelets several- to many-flowered, only 1 to 2 lowest glumes empty"	10
9	"Spikelets with 1 to 2 flowers producing nuts, usually several to many empty glumes at the base of the spikelets"	26
10	"Stems noded and leafy (also occasionally noded in Schoenoplectus and aquatic Isolepis species, but then not large perennials, and bristles absent); hypogynous bristles or scales present (except in Fuirena nudiflora)"	11
10	"Stems not noded; hypogynous bristles or scales present or absent"	13
11	"Three hypogynous scales inflated and more or less petal-like; (0 to) 3 hair-like bristles also present; glumes with an awn about two-thirds as long as, to equalling, glume length"	Fuirena
11	"All hypogynous bristles hair-like; glumes with a mucro no more than one-eighth glume length"	12
12	"Spikelets less than 1 cm long; inflorescence branches scabrous; hypogynous bristles much longer than nut"	Scirpus
12	"Spikelets 1-2.5 cm long; inflorescence branches not scabrous; hypogynous bristles shorter than or equalling nut"	Bolboschoenus
13	"Style base enlarged and persistent on nut"	14
13	"Style base more or less enlarged but not persistent on nut"	15
14	"Inflorescence not subtended by leafy bracts; leaves reduced to sheaths, glabrous; hypogynous bristles usually present"	Eleocharis
14	"Inflorescence subtended by leafy bracts; leaves with well developed blades, hairy near mouth of sheath; hypogynous bristles always absent"	Bulbostylis
15	"Hypogynous bristles present"	16
15	"Hypogynous bristles absent"	17
16	"Inflorescence bracts leafy, usually several"	Actinoscirpus
16	"Inflorescence bracts stem-like, 1 or 2"	Schoenoplectus
17	"Style base enlarged but not persistent"	Fimbristylis
17	"Style base not enlarged"	18
18	"Style 2-branched"	19
18	"Style 3-branched"	22
19	"Glumes distichously arranged in spikelet"	20
19	"Glumes spirally arranged in spikelet"	21
20	"Glumes with 3 nerves spread over each side"	"Queenslandiella {Queenslandiella hyalina}"
20	"Glumes with 1 nerve on each side close to keel only"	Cyperus
21	"Spikelets not more than 5 mm long; inflorescence bract rarely more than twice as long as inflorescence"	Isolepis
21	"Spikelets at least 7 mm long; inflorescence bract at least 4 times as long as inflorescence"	Schoenoplectus
22	"Rachilla internodes thickened and clasping nut at maturity"	"Cyperus {Cyperus odoratus}"
22	"Rachilla not thickened or clasping nut"	23
23	"Glumes distichously arranged in spikelet (spiral in C. hamulosus but then plant has curry smell)"	Cyperus
23	"Glumes spirally arranged in spikelet"	24
24	"Inflorescence subtended by several leafy bracts"	Crosslandia
24	"Inflorescence subtended by 1 obvious bract, Which usually appears as a continuation of the stem"	25
25	"Nuts transversely rugose and/or stout perennials"	Schoenoplectus
25	"Nuts variously marked but never rugose; slender annuals or occasionally perennials"	Isolepis
26	"Nut clasped by enlarged, corky upper end of rhachilla"	Cyperus
26	"Nut not clasped by enlarged, corky upper end of rachilla"	27
27	"Nut more or less enclosed in (1 to) 2 hyaline scales"	Lipocarpha
27	"Nut not enclosed in hyaline scales"	28
28	"Two to 6 hypogynous bristles or scales present"	29
28	"Hypogynous bristles or scales absent (rarely 1 bristle present in Machaerina {Machaerina insularis})"	40
29	"Style simple or 2-branched"	30
29	"Style 3- to 8-branched"	31
30	"Style base differentiated, enlarged, and persistent; leaves without a ligule"	Rhynchospora
30	"Style base not differentiated or enlarged or persistent; leaves with a ligule"	Cyathochaeta
31	"Upper internodes of rachilla prominently zig-zag"	Schoenus
31	"Upper internodes straight"	32
32	"Style base persistent, often enlarged in fruit"	33
32	"Style base deciduous"	37
33	"Inflorescence a head"	34
33	"Inflorescence panicle-like, umbel-like, or spike-like"	35
34	"Glumes narrow-lanceolate with a long awn"	"Ptilothrix deusta"
34	"Glumes broad-ovate, retuse, obtuse, or broadly acute but without an awn"	Gymnoschoenus
35	"Bristles 6, as long as, or longer than, the nut"	Carpha
35	"Bristles 2 to 5, much shorter than the nut"	36
36	"Robust perennial with inflorescence c. 40 cm long"	Gahnia
36	"Slender perennials with inflorescences 1-30 cm long"	Tetraria
37	"Glumes spirally arranged in the spikelet"	Lepidosperma
37	"Glumes distichously arranged in the spikelet"	38
38	"Leaves with a membranous or chartaceous ligule; nut with a hypogynous disk (except in 1 sp.)"	Mesomelaena
38	"Leaves without a ligule; nut without a hypogynous disk"	39
39	"Hypogynous bristles or scales falling with the nut"	Tricostularia
39	"Hypogynous bristles or scales persistent on rachilla after nut falls"	Oreobolus
40	"Style simple or 2-branched"	41
40	"Style 3 to 8-branched"	44
41	"Style base enlarged, persistent; ligule absent"	Rhynchospora
41	"Style base not enlarged or persistent"	42
42	"Inflorescence umbel-like; ligule present"	"Trachystylis {Trachystylis stradbrokensis}"
42	"Inflorescence of 1 to 3 dense, clustered heads; ligule absent"	43
43	"Hyaline scales (0 to) 2 enclosing nut; glumes flat with 0 to 2 nerves on each side of midvein"	Lipocarpha
43	"Hyaline scales absent; glumes keeled, with 3 to 5 nerves on each side of mid-vein"	Cyperus
44	"Upper internodes of rachilla zig-zag"	Schoenus
44	"Upper internodes of rachilla straight"	45
45	"Inflorescence enclosed by large spathe-like bracts, borne on long bare stem 1-2 m high"	"Reedia {Reedia spathacea}"
45	"Inflorescence not as above"	46
46	"Nut borne on disk; disk often persistent on rachilla after the nut falls"	47
46	"Nut not borne on a disk"	48
47	"Tall perennials 1.25-2.5 m high with leafy stems; inflorescence compound, 20-30 cm long"	Cladium
47	"Small perennials 15-90 cm high with leafless stems; inflorescence a single cluster of spikelets, 1-3 cm long"	Mesomelaena
48	"Stamens 12 to 22"	Evandra
48	"Stamens 2 to 8"	49
49	"Inflorescence of 1 to 3 clustered heads with numerous spikelets"	50
49	"Inflorescence panicle-like, spike-like, or occasionally reduced to a few clustered spikelets"	51
50	"Leaves reduced to sheaths; stems scabrous above"	"Arthrostylis {Arthrostylis aphylla}"
50	"Leaves with well developed blades; stems smooth"	Lipocarpha
51	"Leaves reduced to blades no more than 1 cm long"	52
51	"Leaves with well developed blades to 1 m long"	54
52	"Persistent style base not separated from body of nut by a constriction"	Baumea
52	"Persistent style base separated from body of nut by a constriction"	53
53	"Leaves with a ligule"	"Tetraria capillaris"
53	"Leaves without a ligule"	Caustis
54	"Spikelets disarticulating at maturity"	"Cyperus conicus"
54	"Spikelets persistent, only nuts falling at maturity"	55
55	"Leaves 2-ranked"	56
55	"Leaves 3-ranked"	57
56	"Nut long-stipitate, 3-winged, with a long, more or less 3-winged, glabrous style base"	"Machaerina {Machaerina insularis}"
56	"Nut short-stipitate with the short style base often pubescent, not winged but often 3-angled"	Baumea
57	"Leaves with a ligule"	Gahnia
57	"Leaves without a ligule"	Tetraria
58	"Female flowers not enclosed in a utricle; nut borne on a hypogynous disk"	Scleria
58	"Female flowers enclosed in a sac-like utricle; nut without hypogynous disk"	59
59	"Slender rachilla inside utricle with an exserted hooked tip; inflorescence always a single spike"	Uncinia
59	"No slender hooked rachilla inside the utricle; inflorescence of (1 to to) several to many spikes"	Carex