Flora of North America species comparison

20–90 cm, 1.5–3 mm wide basally, 0.9–1.1 mm wide distally.

20–80 cm;

vegetative culms with leaf blades in stiff rosettes.

sheaths tight, green, fronts hyaline, yellowish and thickened at mouth;

ligules to 3 mm, as long as wide;

widest leaf blades 2.5–4.5 mm wide, sometimes papillose adaxially.

sheaths adaxially green-veined nearly to collar, with a white-hyaline band or sharp Y-shaped hyaline region at collar; adaxially firm, summits truncate, prolonged 0.3 mm beyond collar, abaxially finely papillose;

distal ligules 2–7 mm;

blades 2–4 per fertile culm, 14–30 cm × 3–6(–8) mm.

with (3–)5–10 spikes, 1.5–3.5 cm × 8–15 mm;

proximal internodes equaling or shorter than proximal spikes;

proximal bracts 1–5 cm;

spikes with 8–20 ascending or spreading perigynia.

dense or open, light green or brown, 1.5–4(–5) cm × 7–16 mm;

proximal internode 3–5(–12) mm; 2d internode 2–9 mm;

proximal bracts bristlelike or, sometimes, leaflike.

3–10, distant, distinct, conic or ovoid, 6–12 × 4–7 mm, base truncate or rounded, apex obtuse; staminate portion 2 mm or less.

pale green, pale yellow, or pale brown, 9–15-veined abaxially, 3.5–5 × 2.2–3 mm, margins serrulate distally;

beak 0.8–1.2 mm, apical teeth 0.4–0.6 mm.

appressed, greenish to dark brown, conspicuously 3–7-veined abaxially, inconspicuously veined adaxially, obovate, concavo-convex, 3–4.2 × (1.8–)2–3.2 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.5–0.8 mm wide;

beak appressed-ascending, brown at tip, flat, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with white or hyaline brown margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5–2 mm.

suborbiculate, 1.9–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm.

elliptic, 1.7–1.9 × 1.1–1.25 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick;

styles abaxially-adaxially bent.

scales hyaline or brown with green, 3-veined center, ovate, (2.4–)3–4.3 × (1–)1.6–3 mm, body slightly shorter to longer than perigynium and as wide, apex awned to 1.5–3.5(–4) mm.

scales white-hyaline or brown, with green or white midstripe extending to tip, broadly lanceolate, 2.8–3.5 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex firm, obtuse or acute.

2.2–2.5 mm.

= 36, 38.