Flora of North America species comparison

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

with angles smooth proximally, 17–70 cm.

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 white-hyaline, often tinged brown distally, summit usually U-shaped, sometimes prolonged to 1.5 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 0.5–1.5(–3) mm;

blades (2–)3–4 per fertile culm, 8–20 cm × 2.2–3.8 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, dark or chestnut brown or brown and green (gold), 1.2–2(–2.5) cm × 8–15 mm;

proximal internode 1–3(–4) mm; 2d internode 0.5–3 mm;

proximal bracts usually bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

5–9(–12), densely aggregated, individually indistinct, ovoid or broadly ovoid, 7.5–11 × 3.5–6.5 mm, base rounded to attenuate, apex truncate to tapered.

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-ascending to ascending, green to straw colored, conspicuously 6–8-veined abaxially, conspicuously 3–4(–6)-veined adaxially, at least 3 veins longer than achene, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, biconvex, 4–5.1 × 1–1.3(–1.5) mm, (0.4–)0.5–0.55 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.25 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body, pithlike tissue usually present in proximal perigynium walls;

beak usually dark brown at tip, cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.5–0.9 mm, abaxial suture inconspicuous or with white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2.2–3.1 mm.

suborbiculate, 1.9–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm.

narrowly elliptic to oblong, (1.1–)1.4–1.8 × 0.6–0.9 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick.

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 gold to brown, with pale to gold midstripe, lanceolate to ovate, 3.1–3.8 mm, shorter than and narrower than or as wide as perigynia, margin usually not white, apex obtuse to long-acute.

2.2–2.5 mm.