Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

erect, relatively strict, 15–40 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.

sheaths relatively tight, pale brown abaxially, inner band thin, hyaline, concave at summit;

ligules as wide as long;

blades pale green to gray-green, flat, 10–20 cm × 1–2 mm, subequal to or shorter than culms, papillose, densely so abaxially.

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.

1.5–4 cm × 4–5 mm;

proximal bracts shorter than to exceeding spikes, distal bracts usually scalelike.

(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.

3–6(–7), gynecandrous, proximal sometimes remote, distal approximate, containing 10–20 perigynia, suborbicular to ovoid, 3–7 × 3–5 mm;

terminal spike staminate for 1/2 length, not or scarely clavate.

(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.

appressed-ascending, gray-green, becoming pale brown in age, obscurely many-veined on both faces, elliptic-ovate, 1.8–2.1 × 1–1.3 mm, widest near middle, membranous;

beak short, entire.

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

yellowish brown, oblong-obovate, 1.25 × 1 mm, dull to slightly 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.

scales hyaline with green, 3-veined center when young, usually brownish tinged in age, broadly ovate, subequal to, not concealing perigynia, apex obtuse to acutish.

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

= 56.