Flora of North America species comparison

20–90 cm;

vegetative culms inconspicuous with few leaves clustered at apex.

50–115 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, usually fewer than 12 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 glabrous, hyaline sometimes brown tinged band near collar, the summits U-shaped to truncate, ± equaling the base of the blade;

distal ligules 1.5–5.4 mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 3.5–40 cm × 1.5–4.6 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.

open, erect to slightly arching, pale or golden brown, 2.4–5.5(–6.4) cm × 6.5–21 mm;

proximal internode 4–13(–18) mm; 2d internode 3–11 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tips to 1.5 cm.

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

4–8(–10), distinct, ovoid, 10–22 × 4–11 mm, base rounded to tapered, apex rounded to 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, ± appressed, yellowish green to brown with paler margins, conspicuously 3–7-veined adaxially, 8–12-veined abaxially, 2–5 veins in wings, broadly ovate, broadly elliptic, or orbiculate, often strongly concave, (5.6–)6–7.1 × 3.3–4.6(–4.8) mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.6–1.3 mm wide, smooth;

beak pale or golden brown at tip, strongly flattened, (1.2–)1.5–2.1(–2.3) mm, serrulate-margined to apex, abaxial suture yellow-green to copper-brown, distance from tip of beak to achene 2.8–4 mm.

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

broadly ovate to oblong, 1.8–2.4 × 1.3–1.9 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, apiculum to 0.5–1.1 mm.

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 pale brown with narrow yellow-green to brown midstripe, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, (3.6–)3.9–5 mm, 2.4–3.1(–3.4) times as long as wide, barely or not reaching base of perigynium beaks, margin hyaline, apex firm and herbaceous, flat or inrolled, obtuse to acute.

scales obtuse to acuminate.

(1.8–)2.2–3.6 mm.

= 68, 70.

= 66, 68.