Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

10–40(–70) 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.

blades 5–20(–1.5–25) cm × 2–3(–3.7) 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.

proximal bracts with well-developed blades exceeding inflorescences, sheaths to 10 mm, rarely in dwarf alpine plants with bracts scalelike, sheathless;

lateral spikes with (3–) 10–30 flowers, approximate or proximal distant, dense to somewhat lax, (4–)10–23 × 3–5 mm;

middle internodes 0.5–1 mm;

terminal spike usually staminate, occasionally gynecandrous, sessile or short-pedunculate, 6–18 mm, (1.8–)2–3.5 mm wide in staminate portion.

(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.

ascending, whitish, elliptic-obovate, (2.1–)2.3–3.1 × 1.2–1.9 mm, densely papillose.

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

elliptic-circular, 1.2–2 × 1.1–1.5 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.

scales ascending, pale brown to medium brown with paler center, ovate to ovate-circular, 2–3.2 × 1.2–2 mm, apex obtuse to acuminate, often mucronate to aristate.

staminate scales pale brown with paler midvein and hyaline margins, oblong-obovate, 3–6(–15) mm, apex obtuse to long-acuminate.

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