Flora of North America species comparison

(10–)20–85 cm.

brown or red-brown at base.

2–8.5 mm wide, sparingly scabrous.

basal sheaths not fibrous;

sheath fronts membranous;

blades septate-nodulose, usually V-shaped in cross section when young, usually glabrous.

single spike or racemose, with 2–9 spikes;

proximal bracts leaflike or threadlike, sheathless or sheath longer than diameter of stem, at least 3 times as long as inflorescence;

lateral spikes pistillate or infrequently gynecandrous, larger spikes usually with more than 50 perigynia, pedunculate, prophyllate;

terminal spike staminate or gyncecandrous.

4–6, erect;

lateral spikes pistillate with a few staminate flowers proximally and rarely also distally, narrowly elliptic, 11–4.5 × 5.5–11 mm;

terminal spike staminate, sometimes gynecandrous or abortive, 9–42 × 1.5–3.5 mm.

horizontal, 3.2–5.1(–5.6) × 1.3–2.5 mm, minutely pustulate;

beak 1.2–2.1 mm, smooth.

ascending to spreading, many-veined, sessile or shortly stipitate, inflated, obconic, round in cross section, not more than 10 mm, base tapering or rounded-tapering, apex truncate, abruptly beaked, glabrous;

beak 1.2–3.8, bidentate, teeth 0.3 mm or longer.

trigonous-obovoid, sides strongly concave, 1.2–1.8(–2.1) × 0.9–1.3(–1.5) mm, less than 2 times as long as wide;

style deciduous, straight or sinuous.

trigonous, 1.2–3 mm, smaller than bodies of perigynia;

style persistent or deciduous.

scales with distinct body, 2.9–7(–11.8) × 0.4–0.9(–1.1) mm, body 1.5–2.5 mm, translucent, apex with long, scabrous awn to 1.4–4.5(–9) mm, exceeding perigynia.

scales ± tightly imbricate, lanceolate, narrowly ovate, or oblong-obovate, 3.3–9.3(–12.5) × 0.9–1.6 mm, apex acute to truncate-erose or retuse, sometimes with scabrous awn to 0.1–6.2(–9.2) mm.

pistillate scales sometimes with narrow, indistinct body, apex obtuse to awned.

3.