Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

straight, 10–50 cm, tallest ones 25–50 cm.

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.

of flowering stems usually shorter than culms, 5–20 cm × 1.5–2.9 mm;

ligules on distal cauline leaves truncate or rounded.

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.

peduncles of terminal staminate spikes 0.5–8 mm, 0.2–0.5 length of staminate spikes;

bracts to 20 cm × 1.1–2.9 mm, 1.5–4 times as long as inflorescences;

inner band of sheaths concave or truncate.

(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.

proximal pistillate spikes (1–)2–5, approximate, subsessile or short-pedunculate, globose to elliptic, 8.5–19.9 × 4.1–9.8 mm;

terminal staminate spikes pedunculate, 12–21 × 1.3–2.7 mm.

(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.

reflexed, yellowish green, 3.5–4.8 × 1.1–1.7 mm, apex gradually narrowed;

beak 1.4–2.5 mm, forming an angle of 13–48° with body, smooth.

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

1.2–1.5 × 1–1.2 mm.

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.

pistillate scales yellowish green, inconspicuous among perigynia, 1.7–2.6 × 0.8–1.2 mm; staminate scales yellowish green, ovate, 2.9–4.4 × 0.8–1.6 mm, apex obtuse or acute to acuminate.

1.1–2.9 mm.

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

= 64.