Flora of North America species comparison

20–90 cm;

vegetative culms inconspicuous with few leaves clustered at apex.

strongly purple-red or yellow-brown tinged with purple-red to 4.8–10.4 cm high at base, 20–60(–68) cm.

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;

blades green, widest blades 2.4–5.1(–6.7) mm wide, smooth abaxially.

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.

0.21–0.57(–0.95) of culm height;

peduncles of lateral spikes scaberulous;

peduncles of terminal spikes (2.5–)18–121 mm, usually much exceeding lateral spikes;

proximal bract with sheaths tight, abaxially glabrous, sheath front apex concave, elongated 0.2–2.5 mm;

ligules 0.2–4.3 mm;

distal bract shorter than terminal spike.

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

1–3, widely separate;

lateral spikes pistillate or androgynous, with 3–13(–22) perigynia, (19–)13–39 × 3.9–8.3 mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number = 1.7–3.4;

terminal spikes (16–)20–43 × (2.8–)3.3–4.5(–5.4) mm.

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.

spirally imbricate, 42–65-veined, unwrinkled, obovoid or narrowly obovoid, obtusely triangular in cross section, 3.4–5.1 × 1.5–2 mm, 1.8–2.5(–3.2) times as long as wide, dull, base gradually tapered, apex gradually or abruptly tapered to subacute;

beak absent or excurved, 0–0.4(–1.2) mm.

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

obovoid, 2.6–3.4 × 1.4–1.8 mm, tightly enveloped by perigynia;

stipe 0.1–0.3(–0.6) mm, bent 30–60°;

beak bent 35–80°, 0.25–0.45 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 3.3–11.1(–17.9) × 2–2.8 mm, margins entire, whitish, apex with awn 0.2–8.3(–13.7) mm.

scales 4.2–5.7 × 1.2–1.6 mm.

2.4–4.4 mm.

= 68, 70.