Flora of North America species comparison

20–90 cm;

vegetative culms inconspicuous with few leaves clustered at apex.

trigonous in cross section, 20–100 cm, scabrous-angled distally.

sheaths white-hyaline or green-veined, sometimes papillose, summits U-shaped, not distally expanded;

distal ligules 2.2–6 mm;

blades 3–4 per fertile culm, 11–25 cm × 1.7–4.2 mm.

basal sheaths usually strongly tinged with reddish purple;

ligules longer than wide;

blades pale to mid green, flat to W-shaped, 2.5–8.5 mm wide, glabrous.

mostly dense, brown, 1.1–3 cm × 5–14 mm;

proximal internode 1–4 mm; 2d internode 1.4–3.4 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

2.5–12(–20) cm;

proximal bract 4–30 cm, exceeding inflorescence;

proximal (1–)2–3(–4) spikes pistillate, erect or often the proximal pendent;

terminal 1 spike staminate.

3–10, usually overlapping, ovoid to globose, 4–10 × 3–7 mm, base rounded or truncate, apex rounded.

ascending to ascending-spreading, light to dark reddish brown, conspicuously 3+-veined abaxially, faintly or basally 1–3-veined adaxially, winged to base, ovate or elliptic, plano-convex, 2.5–3.8 × (1–)1.2–2 mm, 0.35–0.45 mm thick, 1.9–2.5 times as long as wide, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.5 mm wide, 1b ciliate-serrulate at least distally;

beak reddish brown at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with reddish brown-hyaline margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.2–2.2 mm.

spreading or the proximal reflexed, strongly 13–21-veined, veins mostly separated by 3+ times their width, confluent at or proximal to mid beak (except for 2 prominent lateral), elliptic, 4.5–7.3 × 1.4–2.1 mm, herbaceous, apex contracted;

beak 1.9–2.8 mm, smooth, bidentulate, teeth straight, 0.3–0.9 mm.

ovate or elliptic, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.9 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.

pale brown, trigonous, smooth.

scales reddish brown, usually with green or whitish to brown midstripe, lanceolate, 2.5–3.5 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex acuminate or acute.

scales lanceolate, 2.3–6.5 × 0.5–1.1 mm, shorter than perigynia, margins ciliate, , apex truncate to retuse, scabrous-awned, awn longer than body.

scales scabrous-awned, sometimes also ciliate-margined.

3.

= 68, 70.