Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

to 70 cm × 1.5 mm, scabrous.

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.

sheath fronts rugose, indistinctly spotted pale brown, apex convex, membranous;

ligule emarginate to acute, 0–4 mm, free limb to 0.2 mm;

blades 50 cm × 5 mm, shorter than flowering stem.

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.

spicate or somewhat capitate, 3–5 cm × 15–25 mm, with 10–15 branches, proximal not distinct; the proximal internode to 0.5 cm;

bracts scalelike, the proximal setaceous, conspicuous.

(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.

dull yellow-brown turning medium brown, red-brown distally, (3–)5–7-veined abaxially, (0–)3–5-veined adaxially, body elliptic to ovate, 2.8–4 × 1.5–2 mm, base obtuse to rounded, usually with well-developed spongy tissue;

beak 1–1.5 mm, 1/3–1/2 length of perigynium.

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

red-brown, ovate, 1.5–1.7 × 1.5–1.8 mm, glossy.

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.

hyaline, brown, awn 0.5–2 mm.

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