Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

sharply trigonous in cross section, (15–)25–95(–110) cm, scabrous-angled distally.

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.

basal sheaths reddish purple;

ligules as wide to slightly longer than wide;

blades dark green, flat to W-shaped, widest leaves (4–)4.5–11.5(–13) mm wide, glabrous.

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.

2.7–18 cm;

proximal bract 9–45 cm, exceeding inflorescence;

proximal 1–3(–4) spikes pistillate, erect or the proximal often spreading, (12–)15–22 mm thick, if spikes less than 15 mm thick, then usually less than 2.5 times as long as wide;

terminal 1 spike staminate.

(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.

spreading, strongly 7–12-veined, veins separate nearly to beak apex, broadly ovate, (6–)6.5–10.8 × (1.8–)2–3.5(–4.2), apex contracted;

beak 2.5–5.9 mm, 0.7–0.9 length of body, bidentate, smooth, teeth straight, to 0.2–0.8 mm.

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

yellow to brown, trigonous, papillose.

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 narrowly oblong, 3.4–11.2 × 0.5–1.1 mm, as long as or shorter than perigynia, margins often ciliate, apex truncate to retuse, erose, prolonged to scabrous awn.

scales with distinct, scabrous awn, sometimes ciliate-margined.

3.

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