Flora of North America species comparison

15–120 cm;

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

10–85 cm, 1.8–2.2 mm wide basally, 0.5–0.9 mm wide distally;

basal scales and sheaths usually red or purple tinged.

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 tight, green, fronts hyaline;

ligules (3.5–)4–8 mm, longer than wide;

widest leaf blades 2–4 mm wide, often papillose adaxially.

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.

with 3–8 spikes, 1–4 cm × 6–10 mm;

proximal internodes as long as or slightly longer than proximal spikes;

proximal bracts to 2 cm;

spikes with 5–10 spreading to ascending perigynia.

(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.

greenish brown finally becoming black and glossy, veinless or to 7-veined abaxially, 4–5.5 × 2.2–2.4 mm, base of body somewhat spongy, thickened, margins serrulate distally;

beak 1.5–2 mm, apical teeth 0.3–0.6 mm.

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

suborbiculate, 2–2.3 × 2 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 brown with green 1–3-veined center, lanceolate to ovate, 3.2–4.5 × 1.7–2.2 mm, body slightly shorter and slightly narrower than perigynium, apex acuminate to short-awned.

1.5–2.5 mm.

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

= 58.