Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

50–115 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, 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, hyaline sometimes brown tinged band near collar, the summits U-shaped to truncate, ± equaling the base of the blade;

distal ligules 1.5–5.4 mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 3.5–40 cm × 1.5–4.6 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, erect to slightly arching, pale or golden brown, 2.4–5.5(–6.4) cm × 6.5–21 mm;

proximal internode 4–13(–18) mm; 2d internode 3–11 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tips to 1.5 cm.

(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.

4–8(–10), distinct, ovoid, 10–22 × 4–11 mm, base rounded to tapered, apex rounded to acute.

(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 in larger spikes, ± appressed, yellowish green to brown with paler margins, conspicuously 3–7-veined adaxially, 8–12-veined abaxially, 2–5 veins in wings, broadly ovate, broadly elliptic, or orbiculate, often strongly concave, (5.6–)6–7.1 × 3.3–4.6(–4.8) mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.6–1.3 mm wide, smooth;

beak pale or golden brown at tip, strongly flattened, (1.2–)1.5–2.1(–2.3) mm, serrulate-margined to apex, abaxial suture yellow-green to copper-brown, distance from tip of beak to achene 2.8–4 mm.

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

broadly ovate to oblong, 1.8–2.4 × 1.3–1.9 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, apiculum to 0.5–1.1 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 brown with narrow yellow-green to brown midstripe, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, (3.6–)3.9–5 mm, 2.4–3.1(–3.4) times as long as wide, barely or not reaching base of perigynium beaks, margin hyaline, apex firm and herbaceous, flat or inrolled, obtuse to acute.

scales obtuse to acuminate.

(1.8–)2.2–3.6 mm.

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

= 66, 68.