Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

45–90 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspiculous, usually fewer than 12 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

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 glabrous, individually indistinct Y-shaped hyaline band reaching 0–8 mm below the collar, summit U-shaped or truncate, extending 0–2 mm beyond collar, smooth;

distal ligules 2–4 mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 2.5–25 cm × 1.8–3.2(–4) 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.

open to congested, erect to nodding, pale or golden brown, 2–4.5 cm × 7.5–19 mm;

proximal internode 3.5–12 mm; 2d internode 3–10 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or often with bristle tips shorter than or equaling inflorescences.

(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.

3–8, distant, distinct, globose to ovoid or conic, 8–14 × 4.5–9.5 mm, base rounded to acute, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded.

(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.

15–80 on larger spikes, loosely ascending, light green, yellow-brown, or copper-brown, green or brown winged, inconspicuously 0–3(–5)-veined adaxially, 0–8-veined abaxially, 1–2 veins in winged margin, broadly elliptic to ovate, flat or concavo-convex except over achene, (4.2–)4.6–6.7(–7.1 in larger perigynia) × 2.5–4 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, herbaceous, ± opaque, with achene not visible through adaxial face, margin flat, including wing 0.6–1.1 mm wide smooth;

beak tip, strongly flattened, 2–2.8 mm, serrulate-margined to apex, abaxial suture pale or copper-brown, distance from beak tip to achene 2.6–4.2 mm.

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

elliptic to ± orbiculate, 1.6–2.2 × 1.2–1.6 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, apiculum to 0.4–1.1 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 pale yellowish brown or occasionally copper-brown tinged, with narrow yellow-brown midstripe, lanceolate or lance-ovate, 3.7–4.4 mm, reaching base to middle of perignyium beaks, margin whitish to brownish hyaline, apex membranaceous, curled, acuminate or awned to 0.7 mm.

scales acuminate-awned.

(1.8–)2.2–3.6 mm.

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

=50, 52, 54.