Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, usually fewer than 15 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

30–100 cm;

vegetative culms with numerous leaves spaced evenly along distal 1/2.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped or sometimes prolonged to 2 mm beyond collar and rounded, smooth;

distal ligules 2.2–3.5 mm;

blades 3–5 per fertile culm, 12–30 cm × 1.5–3.5 mm.

sheaths adaxially green-veined nearly to collar, with V-shaped hyaline band extending 4–20 mm proximal to collar;

somewhat loose, expanded near summit, ± wing-angled, adaxially firm, summits truncate to U-shaped, prolonged beyond collar;

distal ligules 4–10 mm;

blades 4–6 per fertile culm, 13–40 cm × 3–7.5 mm.

open, brown, (1.3–)2.5–5(–6.5) cm × 5–18 mm;

proximal internode (3–)6–13(–23) mm; 2d internode 2–12 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

dense or proximally open, brown, 2–4(–4.5) cm × 8–15 mm;

proximal internode 2–6 mm; 2d internode 2–4 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike with bristle tip to 1(–8) cm.

(3–)4–7, 5–7 on larger culms, distant, distinct, ovoid to ellipsoid, 7–17(–24) × 4–8(–12) mm, base attenuate or rarely rounded, apex acute to rounded;

terminal spike usually with conspicuous staminate base.

6–15, usually widely spaced, globose, 4–8 × 4–8 mm, base rounded to tapered, apex rounded.

(10–)15–40(–45) per spike, ascending-spreading, green or reddish brown, veinless or faintly and irregularly 1–5-veined adaxially, orbiculate or broadly ovate, plano-convex, (2.6–)3.4–4.8(–5.2) × (2–)2.3–3.2 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick, 1.2–1.8 times as long as wide, nearly leathery, margin flat, including wing 0.3–0.8 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least distally, smooth;

beak pale green or brown at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with gold or reddish brown-hyaline margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5–2.4 mm.

spreading to ascending, with beak and distal body of perigynium spreading or recurrent at 80º angle or greater, pale green to pale brown, conspicuously 3–6-veined abaxially, conspicuously 2–6-veined adaxially, ovate to elliptic, plano-convex, 2–3.5 times as long as wide, 2.7–4 × 1–1.7 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.2 mm wide, abruptly narrowed proximally, not extending to base;

beak tip usually not colored, flat, ciliate-serrulate, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5–1.8 mm.

orbiculate to broadly ovate, 1.5–2.2 × 1.3–1.8 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick.

oblong-ovate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.

scales white-hyaline, tinged reddish brown, usually with whitish, pale gold, or green midstripe, broadly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 2.6–4.3 mm, as long as to 0.7–0.9 mm shorter than perignyium beaks, narrower than perigynia, margins thin, sometimes involute, apex mostly acute.

scales white-hyaline or pale brown with green to brown midstripe not reaching tip, lanceolate, 1.6–2.3 mm, 1/2 length of and narrower than perigynia, hidden by perignyium beaks, apex acute or ultimate apex often rounded to retuse.

= 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68.

= 70.