Flora of North America species comparison

10–30(–40) cm, bases hard, swollen.

5–20(–30) cm.

¼–1/2 length of scapes;

sheaths brown to stramineous, abaxially glabrous or hirtellous;

blades spreading to erect, filiform, wiry, less than 1 mm wide, involute, margins and adaxial surface glabrous to hispidulous or scabrid.

to 2/3 length of scapes;

sheaths greenish or tan, glabrous or hispidulous on ribs;

blades spreading, filiform, 0.5 mm wide, involute, margins scabridulous.

terminal, mostly in compound, compact or diffuse, involucrate anthelae;

scapes ascending to erect, wiry, 1 mm thick, coarsely ribbed, ribs glabrous or hispidulous to scabrid;

proximal bladed involucral bract exceeding or exceeded by inflorescence.

scapes filiform, coarsely few ribbed, to 0.5 mm thick;

spikelets in terminal headlike, involucrate clusters, 1–1.5 cm wide;

involucral bracts with setaceous blades rarely exceeding inflorescence.

red-brown to chestnut-brown, lanceoloid to cylindric, 4–6 mm, mostly longer than broad;

fertile scales ovate, curvate-keeled, 2–2.5 mm, apex acute, glabrous or papillose-puberulent, midrib excurrent as mucro or mucronula.

red to red-brown or dull brown, lance-ovoid to lanceoloid or linearoblong;

fertile scales lanceolate, keeled, 1.2–2.2 mm, glabrous, midrib excurrent as mucro.

stamens 3;

anthers linear, 1–2 mm.

stamens 1;

anthers oblong, 1 mm.

gray to yellow-brown or dark brown, trigonous-obovoid, 1–1.2(–1.5) mm, faces rugulose, papillate;

tubercle a globose button.

trigonous, obovoid, 0.5–0.6 mm, angles often sharp, faces flat or slightly concave, finely reticulate;

tubercle a small button.

= 60.

= 10.