Flora of North America species comparison

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

4–16 cm, scabrous distally;

bases (remnants of old leaves) fibrous.

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.

blades pale to bright green, equaling or exceeding stems, 0.5–4.3 mm wide, herbaceous or coriaceous, glabrous abaxially, strongly scabrous to papillose adaxially.

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.

with both staminate and pistillate scales;

peduncles of basal pistillate spikes erect, short to elongate, stout to slender;

peduncles of staminate spikes 0.8–15 mm;

proximal nonbasal bracts scalelike, shorter than inflorescences.

proximal pistillate spikes 2–3 (basal spikes 1–2);

cauline spikes usually overlapping with staminate spikes, with 3–10(–15) perigynia; staminate spikes 4.5–11.3 × 1.1–3 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.

green to pale brown, veinless, ellipsoid, obtusely trigonous in cross section, 3.1–4.7 × 1.1–1.6 mm;

beak straight, pale green, occasionally with reddish brown tinge near apex, strongly 2-edged, 0.9–2 mm, smooth or ciliate-serrulate, apical teeth 0.2–0.5 mm.

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

brown, ellipsoid to obovoid, obtusely trigonous in cross section, 1.6–2 × 1.2–1.6 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.

1.6–2.9 mm.

pistillate scales pale brown to reddish brown, with narrow white margins, ovate, 2.9–4.1 × 1.5–1.9 mm, equaling or exceeding perigynia, apex acute to long-acuminate; staminate scales ovate, 4.2–5.4 × 1.2–2.1 mm, apex obtuse or acute to acuminate.

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