Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

purple-red to 4.8–11.4 cm at base, 8.9–39 cm;

vegetative shoots 33–59 cm, 1.4–2.2 times as tall as culms.

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.

green, widest blades 3–4.6 mm wide.

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.

8.1–29 cm, 0.73–0.95 of culm height;

internode between proximalmost scales in proximalmost spike 2.4–3.5 mm;

internode between distal lateral spikes 0.4–7.4(–9.8) cm, longest internode between distal lateral spikes 0.9–7.4(–9.8) cm;

peduncle of terminal spike 0.3–3.2(–6.8) cm, longest peduncle per plant 0.87–3.2(–6.8) cm;

proximal bract sheaths tight, hyaline band of adaxial face of sheath with apex truncate or concave;

ligules 4–4.9(–9.6) mm;

blades uniformly green, bract blade of distalmost lateral spike exceeding terminal spike, longest bract blade of distalmost lateral spike 3.2–9.5 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.

4–6, distalmost 2–3 spikes overlapping or, rarely, all spikes separate;

lateral spikes pistillate, with 2–12 perigynia, longest spike per plant with (5–)7–12, 7–20 × 3.5–4.8 mm, ratio of longest lateral spike length (in mm) to flower number = 1.8–2.5;

terminal spike 14–38 × 1.2–2.1 mm, longest per plant 17–38 mm, exceeding distalmost lateral spike Pistillate scales 2.5–4.2 × 1.4–2.2 mm, body 1.5–2.4 mm, midrib prolonged as awn 0.4–2.4 mm.

(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.

distichously imbricate, prominently 49–66-veined, slightly inflated, narrowly obovate in outline, obtusely trigonous in cross section, 4.1–4.7 × 1.4–1.6, 2.7–3.1 times as long as wide, 1.8–1.9 times as long as achene bodies, base gradually tapered, apex gradually tapered;

beak absent or straight, 0–0.4 mm, 0–0.1 of perigynium length.

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

2.9–3.4 × 1.3–1.4 mm, tightly enveloped by perigynia, base abruptly contracted, apex abruptly contracted;

stipe 0.5–0.6 mm;

body 2.2–2.6 mm;

beak straight, 0.1–0.3 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 3.9–4.8 × 1.2–1.8 mm, apex acute, awn 0–2.2 mm.

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