Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges, although other members of the family are called sedges, those of genus Carex  may be called “true” sedges. It is the most species-rich genus in the family Cyperaceae. The study of Carex is known as caricology. The term “caricology” derives from Latin: “caricologia.”

The genus was established by Carolus Linnaeus in his work Species Plantarum in 1753. Estimates of the number of species vary from about 1100 to almost 2000. Their distribution is global, usually traceable through paleophytogeography, such as strong phylogenetic relationships between many Gondwanaland species.
Carex praecox

Most (but not all) sedges are found in wetlands (e.g. marshes, calcareous fens, bogs and other peatlands, pond edges, and even ditches), where they are often the dominant vegetation.