Flora of North America species comparison

30–140 cm.

to 80 cm × 3.5 mm, scabrous abaxially.

sheaths adaxially conspicuously green-veined nearly to collar, narrow hyaline band or sharp Y-shaped region at collar, adaxially firm, sometimes papillose, summits U-shaped;

distal ligules 2.8–8 mm;

blades 3–7 per fertile culm, 11–50 cm × 2.5–6 mm.

sheaths all with blades, fronts rugose, red-brown spotted, veinless, apex hyaline, colorless, fragile, convex, entire;

ligules rounded, 7 mm, free limb to 0.5 mm;

blades not epistomic, to 75 cm × 8 mm.

dense or open, pale green or brown, 2–6.5 cm × 7–20 mm;

proximal internode 3–13 mm; 2d internode 4–10 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

densely spicate, cylindric, elongate, with 8–12 branches, 3–7 × 2 cm;

proximal internode to 15 mm.

3–11, distant, distinct, ellipsoid to ovoid, 6–20 × 4–9 mm, base rounded or short-acute, apex broadly acute to obtuse.

± spreading, light or golden brown, faintly 3–8-veined on each face, obovate, flat except over achene, 4–5.5 × 2.5–3.8 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.8–1.5 mm wide;

beak light brown at tip, flat, 0.85–2.2 mm, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with light brown margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.8–3 mm.

green with green veins, 3–5-veined abaxially, veinless adaxially, to 4.5 × 2 mm, base spongy on both sides, not distended proximally, rounded;

stipe to 0.3 mm;

beak to 1.8 mm, serrulate.

oblong, 1.7–2 × 0.9–1.1 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.

ovate, 2.2 × 1.4 mm;

stalk to 0.2 mm;

persistent style base cylindric.

scales white-hyaline or tan, with green midstripe extending to tip, lanceolate, 2.8–3.5(–3.8) mm, shorter or longer and much narrower than perigynia, apex firm, acuminate or awned to 0.8 mm.

hyaline.

= 74.