Flora of North America species comparison

100–200 cm × 5–15 mm.

sheaths reaching to middle of culm or higher, fronts convex (to concave) and papery at mouth, veins reaching apex, very rarely diverging leaving triangular, veinless, membranous area;

widest blade 7–22 mm wide.

subumbellate, with all or most spikelets solitary or in clusters of 2–3(–8) on 4–12 rays, rays not exceeding 10 cm;

involucral bracts that surpass inflorescences 3–6, widest bract 4–15 mm wide.

10–40, ovoid to lanceoloid, 10–25 × 6–10 mm, base cuneate to rounded;

scales often loosely imbricate, orange-brown to stramineous, usually obscurely lineolate-spotted, 7–10 × 3–4 mm, membranous and translucent, apex 2-fid 0.5–1 mm deep, awns fairly stout, 2–3 × 0.5 mm wide at base.

perianth bristles tightly attached to shed achene, pale brown, very stout, equaling achene;

anthers yellow, 4 mm;

styles 3-fid.

grayish or dark brown, often in patches, obovoid to obpyriform, all nearly equilaterally markedly trigonous to slightly compressed, angles equally rounded, 3.8–5.5 × 2–2.9 mm, apex rounded, beak 0.2–0.8 mm, surface rather dull, exocarp cells usually not evident at 20X; in cross section exocarp much thinner than mesocarp and its cells very small, isodiametric;

achene specific gravity greater than water.

= 94.