Flora of North America species comparison

diffuse, very fine.

to 30 cm, bases soft.

stiff or flaccid, usually terete, ribbed.

spreading to ascending, ¼–1/3 length of scapes;

sheath borders tan, backs prominently ribbed, glabrous;

blades filiform, 0.5 mm wide, involute, margins ciliate-scabrid, surface glabrous.

basal, polystichous, spreading to ascending;

sheaths open apically, apex fimbriate-ciliate, rarely entire;

ligules absent, lateral tufts of hair at junction of blade and sheath;

blades mostly linear or filiform, coarsely ribbed, usually longer than sheaths, 1 mm wide or less, mostly strongly involute, margins variably scabrid-ciliate.

solitary or more commonly in simple, open, rarely compact, involucrate anthelae;

scapes filiform (rarely with several spikelets sessile or subsessile at plant base), prominently ribbed, glabrous;

proximalmost involucral bract cuspidate or setaceous bladed, exceeding or exceeded by inflorescence.

terminal on slender scapes, rarely axillary to culm leaves, simple or compound anthelae or spikelet solitary;

spikelets 1–50+;

involucral bracts (1–)2–8, spreading or erect, leaflike or scalelike.

red-brown, ovoid to lanceoloid, 3–5 mm;

fertile scales ovate, 1.5–2 mm, apex acute, glabrous or distally puberulent, keel prominent, short-excurrent.

mostly ovoid to lanceoloid or lance-cylindric;

scales 6–50, spirally arranged, rarely nearly distichous, each subtending flower or 1–2 proximal scales empty.

stamens (1–)2;

anthers oblong-elliptic, 0.5–0.7 mm.

bisexual;

perianth absent;

stamens 1–3;

styles slender, (2–)3-fid, glabrous, base enlarged, persistent in fruit.

yellowish to pale brown, trigonous-obovoid, 1 mm, faces rugose.

trigonous or 3-lobed, rarely biconvex, usually 3-ribbed.

= 84.