Flora of North America species comparison

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

with angles smooth proximally, 17–70 cm.

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 white-hyaline, often tinged brown distally, summit usually U-shaped, sometimes prolonged to 1.5 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 0.5–1.5(–3) mm;

blades (2–)3–4 per fertile culm, 8–20 cm × 2.2–3.8 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.

dense, dark or chestnut brown or brown and green (gold), 1.2–2(–2.5) cm × 8–15 mm;

proximal internode 1–3(–4) mm; 2d internode 0.5–3 mm;

proximal bracts usually bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

5–9(–12), densely aggregated, individually indistinct, ovoid or broadly ovoid, 7.5–11 × 3.5–6.5 mm, base rounded to attenuate, apex truncate to tapered.

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-ascending to ascending, green to straw colored, conspicuously 6–8-veined abaxially, conspicuously 3–4(–6)-veined adaxially, at least 3 veins longer than achene, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, biconvex, 4–5.1 × 1–1.3(–1.5) mm, (0.4–)0.5–0.55 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.25 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body, pithlike tissue usually present in proximal perigynium walls;

beak usually dark brown at tip, cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.5–0.9 mm, abaxial suture inconspicuous or with white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2.2–3.1 mm.

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

narrowly elliptic to oblong, (1.1–)1.4–1.8 × 0.6–0.9 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick.

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 gold to brown, with pale to gold midstripe, lanceolate to ovate, 3.1–3.8 mm, shorter than and narrower than or as wide as perigynia, margin usually not white, apex obtuse to long-acute.

1.5–2.5 mm.