Flora of North America species comparison

(20–)30–100 cm, 1.5–3.5 mm wide basally, 0.7–1.2 mm wide distally.

not easily compressed, angles obtuse, to 80 cm × 2 mm, glabrous.

sheaths usually loose, proximal green-and-white-striped and green-and-white-mottled, with conspicous transverse veins on back, fronts white to hyaline, sometimes red dotted and transversely rugose, yellow or brown and thickened at mouth;

ligules 1–4.5 mm, shorter than to as long as wide;

widest leaf blades 3.5–5 mm wide.

sheaths of proximal 2–3 leaves bladeless, fronts smooth, indistinctly linearly veined, forming tubular extension distal to sheath-blade junction, apex colorless, fragile, U-shaped, entire;

ligules obtuse, 4 mm, free limb to 3 mm;

blades not epistomic, to 75 cm × 5 mm.

with 5–10 spikes, (1.5–)2–5 cm × 8–13 mm;

proximal internodes shorter than to as long as proximal spikes;

proximal bracts to 3 cm;

spikes with 5–15 ascending to spreading perigynia.

densely spicate, elongate, with 15–20 distinguishable branches, 5–10 × 2.5 cm;

proximal internode to 10 mm.

pale green to pale brown, veinless or weakly 2–5-veined abaxially, 3.4–4.6 × 1.9–2.8 mm, body somewhat spongy, thickened at base, margins serrulate distally;

beak 0.7–1.4 mm, apical teeth 0.3–1 mm.

pale brown with red-brown veins, 10–12-veined abaxially, 7-veined adaxially, to 5 × 1.7 mm, base distended proximally, cordate;

stipe to 0.2 mm;

beak to 2.5 mm, serrulate.

circular to elliptic-circular, 1.8–2.1 × 1.6–1.8 mm.

broadly ovate, 1.7 × 1.5 mm;

stalk to 0.15 mm;

persistent style base cylindric, 0.15 mm.

scales hyaline or pale brown with green, 1–3-veined center, ovate, 2.2–3.5 × 1.2–1.8 mm, body 2/3 as long to almost length of perigynia, apex acuminate to short-awned.

1.5–2.5 mm.

pale brown with hyaline margins.