Flora of North America species comparison

to 30 cm, bases soft.

(10–)15–40(–50) 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 length of culms;

sheaths brown to red-brown, glabrous, or scabrid along ribs;

blades narrowly linear, 0.7–1 mm wide, flat or involute, glabrous or scabrid along ribs, margins distally 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.

scapes 5, erect to ascending, terete, many ribbed, 1–2 mm thick, stiff;

spikelets in dense globose to hemispheric, involucrate heads, 1–2 cm wide;

longer involucral bracts with setaceous blades usually exceeding inflorescence, basally dilating to broad pectinatefimbriate sheaths.

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.

pale brown or redbrown, ovoid, somewhat flattened, 4–5 mm;

fertile scales ovate, keeled, 4–5 mm, apex acute, puberulent, midrib included or excurrent as mucro.

stamens (1–)2;

anthers oblong-elliptic, 0.5–0.7 mm.

stamens 3;

anthers linear, 3 mm.

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

white or yellowish, broadly trigonous-obovoid, 3-lobed, 1 mm, each lobe carinate, biconvex, apex retuse, surface coarsely, transversely rugose;

tubercle a minute, dark button.

= 84.

= 30.