Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

25–75 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 with adaxial hyaline band, summits U-shaped;

distal ligules 1.7–3.6 mm;

blades 4–5 per fertile culm, 10–25 cm × 1.8–3.2 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, yellow-green, 2–5 cm × 6–14 mm;

proximal internode 5–11 mm; 2d internode 5–13 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or with bristle tip 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.

3–6, distant, distinct, ellipsoid to ovoid, 7–12 × 5–10 mm, base rounded to acute, apex 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 in larger spikes, ascending, straw colored, green distally, inconspicuously veined on each face, reniform to orbiculate, flat, 4–5.3 × 3.5–4.5(–4.9) mm, 0.4–0.6 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 1–1.5 mm wide, finely granular-papillose (30X);

beak pale or green at tip, flat, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with conspicuous white-hyaline margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2–2.7 mm.

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

elliptic, 1.8–2.2 × 1.2–1.5 mm, 0.4–0.6 mm thick.

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 white-hyaline with green midstripe, ovate, 2–3.5 mm, reaching base of perignyium beaks, narrower than perigynia, apex obtuse to rounded.

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

= 80.