OregonFlora species comparison

1–4 mm diameter; tough; hard.

10–70 cm × 0.5–2 mm.

more or less terete; tough; wiry, internally mostly solid; without evident air spaces, cespitose or not, rhizomatous.

5–10;

sheaths loose;

blades 0.5–1 times as long as culms; hard; without evident internal air spaces;

distal blades 3–30 cm × 0.5–2 mm; longer than sheaths.

all basal;

sheaths often disintegrating into fibers;

ligules ciliate;

blades strongly C-shaped in cross section to subcylindric; tough; wiry.

proximal;

involucral bract 1–15 cm, resembling foliage leaf blade.

terminal, often pseudolateral;

spikes 1–6(10), sessile;

involucral bracts 1–3, spreading or erect; leaf-like.

ovoid to lanceoloid or terete, 5–20 × 3–5 mm;

scales pale to dark red-brown; midribs usually stramineous; smooth;

proximal 1 or 2 scales often resembling involucral bracts, with awn-like blades; to 15 mm; other scales in proximal part of spike prominently 9-veined; ovate, 4 × 3 mm;

apex entire; acute to rounded.

5–20 × 3–5 mm;

scales 30–60, spirally arranged; each subtending a flower, glabrous.

perianth bristles unequal.

bisexual, perianth of 1–6 bristles; straight, not longer than achene, retrorsely spinulose;

stamens 3;

styles deciduous;

stigmas 2.

broadly obovoid, 2–2.3 × 1.5–1.7 mm, not beaked.

plano-convex or unequally biconvex.