Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

13–40 cm, smooth, sparsely pilose.

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.

blades M-shaped in cross section when young, 2–4.5 mm wide, at least proximal pilose.

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.

proximal bracts sheathless or sheath not more than 2 mm;

lateral spikes 6–27 × 4–9 mm, all in distal 1/2 of stem;

terminal spike 8–20 × 1–2.5 mm.

(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.

(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.

20–30-veined, narrowly ovoid, 4.5–6 × 1.4–2 mm, spongy at base, subglabrous to puberulent proximally, pilose distally, at least some hairs 0.3–0.4 mm;

beak obscure, 0.3–0.5 mm.

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

stipe to 1 mm;

bodies 2.5 × 1.3–1.7 mm, filling only distal part of perigynia.

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 3-veined, ovate, 2.3–3 × 1.3–2.2 mm, shorter than perigynia, apex acute, sometimes with awn to 0.7 mm.

scales 3-veined, 3.2–5 × 1.2–2 mm.

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