Flora of North America species comparison

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

easily compressed, to 120 cm × 7 mm, scabrous.

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 usually all with blades, green;

fronts rugose, indistinctly linearly veined, apex colorless, fragile, convex, not forming extension, erose;

ligules acute, 10 mm, free limb to 0.8 mm;

blades not epistomic, to 100 cm × 15 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.

densely spicate, elongate, cylindric, with 15–25 distinguishable branches, 5–15 × 4 cm;

proximal internode to 10 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.

pale brown with red-brown veins, 15-veined abaxially, 7-veined adaxially, to 6 × 2 mm, base distended proximally, cordate;

stipe to 0.4 mm;

beak to 3.5 mm, serrulate.

suborbiculate, 1.9–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm.

ovate, to 2 × 1.5 mm;

stalk to 0.3 mm;

persistent style base cylindric.

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.

hyaline.