Flora of North America species comparison

20–90 cm;

vegetative culms inconspicuous with few leaves clustered at apex.

30–100 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, with fewer than 15(–17) leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

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.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped to truncate, sometimes prolonged 1–2 mm beyond collar, not puckered, finely papillose;

distal ligules 2.5–4.8 mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 14–32 cm × 1.5–3 mm.

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.

compact to open, occasionally elongate and arching or nodding, reddish brown or straw colored, 1.5–5 cm × 7–15 mm;

proximal internode 5–15 mm; 2d internode 3–7 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

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

(4–)6–8(–10), distinct, ovoid, 7–15 × 5–9 mm, base rounded, apex rounded or nearly acute.

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.

15–80 in larger spikes, ascending, light green to straw colored, conspicuously 5–9-veined abaxially, veinless or faintly 1–5-veined adaxially, broadly ovate to ovate-orbiculate, plano-convex, 3.3–5 × 2.3–3.5 mm, 0.5–0.8 mm thick, irregular, margin flat, including wing 0.4–0.8 mm wide, with 1–2 veins in yellowish wing, smooth;

beak red-brown at tip, flat, 0.7–1.6(–1.8) mm, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture ± conspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 1.8–3.1 mm.

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

ovate or orbiculate, 1.4–1.8 × 1.1–1.5 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick.

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 light yellow-brown with paler midvein, lance-subulate or lanceolate, occasionally broadly lanceolate, (3.2–)3.4–3.8(–4.2) mm, 0.2–1.3 mm shorter than perignyium beaks, narrower than perigynia, margins white-hyaline, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acute.

1.3–2.6 mm.

= 68, 70.

= 70, 74.