Flora of North America species comparison

erect, not stiff, 15–90 cm.

dark purple-red to 0.3–2.4(–7.3) cm high or very rarely brown at base, 15–80 cm.

sheaths pale brown abaxially, inner band thin, hyaline, sometimes slightly red tinged, concave at summit;

ligules slightly longer than wide;

blades pale green to gray-green flat, 10–20(–30) cm × (1.5–)2–4 mm, subequal to shorter than culms, not stiff.

sheaths glabrous;

blades green, widest blades (3.7–)4.4–7 mm wide, smooth abaxially.

2–15 cm × 5–10 mm;

proximal bracts shorter than to exceeding spikes;

distal bracts usually scalelike.

0.48–0.93 of culm height;

peduncles of lateral spikes glabrous or barely scaberulous;

peduncles of terminal spikes 1.6–21(–37) mm, usually barely exceeding lateral spikes;

proximal bract sheaths loose, glabrous abaxially, sheath front slightly concave to slightly convex, elongated 0.6–2.2(–5) mm beyond apex;

ligules (1.8–)3.4–7.8(–12.9) mm;

distal bract much exceeding terminal spike.

4–8, gynecandrous, proximal ± remote, distal spikes approximate, sometimes flexuous, containing (5–)10–20(–30) perigynia suborbicular to oblong, 3–12 × 3–5 mm;

terminal spike staminate for less than 1/2 of length, often clavate due to more conspicuous staminate part.

(3–) 4–5, distal 2–4 overlapping;

lateral spikes pistillate, with 3–18 perigynia, 5–26 × 4.6–9.8 mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number = 1.3–1.9;

terminal spikes 7–34 × 1.1–2.7 mm.

appressed-ascending, gray-green, becoming yellowish brown, obscurely many-veined, elliptic-ovate, 1.8–3 × 1.2–1.7 mm, widest near middle, membranous;

beak abaxial suture inconspicuous, small marginal teeth.

spirally imbricate, 52–64-veined, unwrinkled to wrinkled, oblong-lanceoloid to narrowly oblong-ovoid, obtusely triangular in cross section, 4.2–5(–5.2) × 1.5–1.9(–2.2) mm, (2.2–)2.5–3.1 times as long as wide, lustrous, base very gradually tapered, apex gradually tapered;

beak absent or straight, 0–0.2 mm.

pale brown, oblong-obovate, 1.25–1.5 × 1–1.25 mm, dull to slightly glossy.

broadly obovoid to oblong-obovoid, widest at 0.55–0.67(–0.7) of body length, (2.6–)2.8–3.4 × (1.3–)1.5–1.7(–1.8) mm, loosely enveloped by perigynia;

stipe straight, (0.3–)0.4–0.6 mm;

beak straight, 0.3–0.6 mm.

scales hyaline with green, 3-veined center when young, usually brownish tinged in age, broadly ovate, subequal to, not concealing perigynia, apex obtuse to acutish.

scales 3.7–8 × 1.2–2.4 mm, margins whitish and usually with red-brown speckles, entire, apex with awn 1.1–6 mm.

scales 3.6–4.9 × 1.1–1.9 mm.

2–2.8 mm.

= 56.