Flora of North America species comparison

10–30(–40) cm, bases hard, swollen.

(10–)15–40(–50) 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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 3;

anthers linear, 1–2 mm.

stamens 3;

anthers linear, 3 mm.

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

tubercle a globose button.

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.

= 60.

= 30.