Flora of North America species comparison

erect, not stiff, 15–90 cm.

dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–50 cm, as long or slightly longer than leaves at maturity, 0.4–0.6 mm thick, glabrous, sometimes scabrous on angles within inflorescence.

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.

basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, pubescent, often only sparsely so;

others grading from maroon to green on back, brown-hyaline on front, red dotted and pubescent toward apex;

blades flat, 1–2 mm wide, sparsely pilose on adaxial surface, margins ciliate.

2–15 cm × 5–10 mm;

proximal bracts shorter than to exceeding spikes;

distal bracts usually scalelike.

peduncles of lateral spike 0–35 mm;

peduncle of terminal spike 5–35 mm, minutely scabrous;

proximal bracts equaling or often exceeding inflorescences;

sheathless and auriculate or with sheaths less than 3 mm;

blades to 1 mm wide.

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.

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.

green, usually red dotted, 2-ribbed and conspicuously 6–10-veined, narrowly lance-ellipsoid, loosely enveloping achene, 4–4.8 × 1.2–1.5 mm, membranous, base with stipe 1 mm, apex gradually tapering to beak, pubescent toward apex;

beak truncate or minutely toothed, 1 mm.

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

substipitate, 2–2.5 × 0.8–1 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 reddish brown with narrow hyaline margins and green midrib, ovate, shorter than mature perigynia, apex rounded to acute or cuspidate, glabrous.

spikes 1–3, 1 per node, each overlapping 1 above but not crowded, proximal 1 often well separated, erect to ascending, sessile or pedunculate, pistillate with 10–25 perigynia attached less than 1 mm apart, narrowly elongate, 10–35 × 2–3 mm.

spike staminate, 10–24 × 1.5–2.5 mm.

= 56.