Flora of North America species comparison

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

3–6 cm (fl), elongating to 6–100 cm (fr).

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 adaxially strongly copper colored distally, truncate to convex at mouth, prolonged 2–8 mm beyond base of blade;

ligules 1.2–5.8(–9.2) mm;

foliage leaf blades 6–50 cm × 2–3 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.

bisexual or, sometimes, nearly or wholly unisexual, flexuous and interrupted, proximal 1–5 branches often separated, decompound, 3–8(–9) × (0.4–)0.8–1.8 cm;

basal branch with (2–)4–10 spikes;

proximal internode 7–26(–33) 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.

appressed or ascending, straw colored to light or dark brown, strongly 6–9-veined abaxially, with or without median lengthwise groove near base, sometimes membranous flap toward apex, lance-ovate (body ovate to very widely ovate) in outline, plano-convex, (2.1–)2.3–3(–3.3) × (1–)1.1–1.4 mm, dull;

beak 0.8–1.4 mm.

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

broadly or very broadly trullate-ovate in outline, 1.2–1.6 × 0.7–1 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.

scales light reddish brown, 2.4–3.3 × (1.1–)1.4–2.1 mm, as wide as or wider than perigynia.

1.5–2.5 mm.

= 66.