Flora of North America species comparison

to 30 cm, bases soft.

5–10(–15) cm.

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.

1/2 as long as to slightly exceeding scapes;

sheaths stramineous to reddish, dilated, strongly ribbed;

blades filiform, 0.5 mm wide, flat or involute, glabrous, margins distantly scabrid.

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.

spikelets of 2 sorts, one sterile, 1(–2) atop filiform scapes or short-stalked to sessile at plant base, red-brown with green midribs, lanceoloid to lance-cylindric, 5–7 mm; the other fertile, the florets developing in sheath axils at culm base; leafy involucral bracts 1, appearing as extension of culm, or absent.

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.

scales of sterile spikelets lanciform, keeled, midrib excurrent at mucro;

fertile scales saccate, strongly ribbed, distended by achenes.

stamens (1–)2;

anthers oblong-elliptic, 0.5–0.7 mm.

stamens 2;

anthers narrowly oblong, 0.5 mm.

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

pale, lustrous, broadly trigonous-obovoid to subglobose, the fertile 1.5 mm, the sterile 1 mm, faces slightly convex, rugulose, papillose;

tubercle a small depressed or conic button.

= 84.

= 20.