Flora of North America species comparison

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

13–50 cm, scabrous distally;

bases (remnants of old leaves) weakly to strongly fibrous.

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.

blades green, 0.7–4.5 mm wide, herbaceous, smooth to scabrous abaxially, smooth to scabrous adaxially.

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.

with both staminate and pistillate spikes;

peduncles of staminate spikes (0.8–)2.5–20 mm;

proximal cauline bracts leaflike, green or reddish brown, shorter than inflorescences.

proximal pistillate spikes 1–3(–4) (basal spikes 0, rarely 1);

cauline spikes overlapping or somewhat separated, with (2–)5–15 perigynia; staminate spikes 8–30 × 1.3–4.1 mm.

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.

yellowish green to pale brown or olive, veinless, obovoid, 2.8–4.6 × 1.5–2.2 mm, as long as wide;

beak straight, pale green, occasionally with reddish tinge, 0.4–1.3 mm, weakly ciliate-serrulate, apical teeth 0.1–0.7 mm.

suborbiculate, 1.9–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm.

dark brown, obovoid to globose, obtusely trigonous in cross section, (1.4–)1.6–2.5 × 1.5–2.2 mm.

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.

2.2–2.5 mm.

(1.5–)2–3.8 mm.

pistillate scales pale brown to dark reddish brown or purplish brown, narrow white margins, elliptic to ovate, 2.6–5.4 × 1.2–2.6 mm, equaling perigynia, apex acute to acuminate or short-awned (rarely obtuse); staminate scales with white margins 0.4–0.8 mm wide, lanceolate to obovate, 3.6–6.7 × 1.2–1.7 mm apex obtuse to long-acuminate.

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