Flora of North America species comparison

20–90 cm;

vegetative culms inconspicuous with few leaves clustered at apex.

20–90 cm, (1.5–) 1.6–2.2 mm wide basally, 0.5–0.9 mm wide 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.

sheaths tight, green, fronts hyaline;

ligules less than 2 mm, wider than long;

widest leaf blades 1.8–2.6 mm wide.

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.

2–7 cm × 5–8 mm;

proximal internodes more than 2 times as long as proximal spikes;

proximal bracts to 6(–10) cm;

spikes with 7–14 spreading perigynia;

spikes 4–8.

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.

green, faces not veined, 2.6–4(–4.2) × 1.1–1.8 mm, base of body spongy, thickened, longitudinally striate adaxially, spongy region 0.8–1.3 mm, margins serrulate distally;

beak 0.6–1.2 mm, apical teeth 0.1–0.5 mm.

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

ovate to obovate, 1.6–2.2 × 1.1–1.6 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 hyaline with green midvein, ovate to circular-ovate, 1.4–2.1 × 1–1.8 mm, body 1/2 length of perigynium, apex obtuse, acute, or awned.

0.8–1.3 mm.

coiled or twisted, 0.07–0.1 mm wide.

= 68, 70.

= 52.