Flora of North America species comparison

(35–)40–110 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, with 6–8 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

to 25–60(–100) cm, smooth.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits concave or truncate, prolonged beyond collar to 2.5 mm, papillose at least near apex;

distal ligules 1–5 mm;

blades 3–4 per fertile culm, 2.5–25 cm × 2–5 mm, usually adaxially papillose.

2–6 mm wide.

open, pale brown, 0.24–0.62 cm × 8–15 mm;

proximal internode 5–17 mm; 2d internode 3–10 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

proximal bracts shorter than or exceeding inflorescences;

spikes oblong or clavate, 10–25 × 6–8 mm;

proximal spikes separate, usually pendent, often long-pendunculate;

distal ones overlapping, erect, contiguous, short-pendunculate;

lateral 3–5 spikes pistillate;

terminal spike gynecandrous, 1/4 or less staminate.

3–6(–8), distant, distinct, ovoid to clavate, 7–21 × 5.5–12 mm, base rounded to long tapered, apex rounded.

15–80 in larger spikes, ascending or ascending-spreading, green to pale whitish green with reddish brown margin, conspicuously 8–12-veined abaxially, 4–8-veined adaxially, broadly elliptic to nearly orbiculate, (4.5–)5.1–6.7(–7.1) × (2.4–)2.8–4.2 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, membranaceous with brown achene visible through hyaline adaxial face, margin flat, including wing 0.8–1.2 mm wide, often erose, scalloped, or with an irregular tooth, smooth;

beak pale brown at tip, flat, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 2.4–3.7 mm.

ascending, light to dark brown with light brown margins, veinless, obovate or circular, 3.5–4 × 2–3 mm, apex abruptly beaked, smooth;

beak 0.3–0.5 mm, shallowly or deeply bidentate, smooth.

elliptic to oblong, 1.6–2.2 × 1.1–1.6 mm, 0.5 mm thick.

filling proximal 1/2 or less of perigynia.

scales reddish brown with green midstripe, lance-ovate to ovate, 3.1–5.4 mm, 1.9–3.2 times as long as wide, (1–)1.4–2.3 mm shorter than perigynia, narrower than perignyia, apex obtuse to acute.

scales light to dark brown, margins hyaline, lanceolate, typically equaling or longer, sometimes shorter and narrower than perigynia, midvein dark, same color as body, inconspicuous, frequently raised, prominent, apex acute to short-mucronate.

(2.4–)2.8–4.2 mm.

scales obtuse.

= 76, 78.