Flora of North America species comparison

erect, not stiff, 15–90 cm.

acutely angled, 75–150 cm, scabrous.

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 red-brown;

sheaths of proximal leaves bladeless, scabrous, fronts with brown spots, prominently ladder-fibrillose, apex U-shaped;

blades 10–15 mm wide.

2–15 cm × 5–10 mm;

proximal bracts shorter than to exceeding spikes;

distal bracts usually scalelike.

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.

erect;

staminate 3–4;

pistillate 3–5; the proximal pistillate spike 4–13 cm × 5–7 mm, base attenuate.

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.

ascending, pale brown with red-brown spots throughout, 5–7-veined on each face, somewhat flattened, loosely enclosing achenes, ellipsoid, 3.2–3.5 × 2 mm, dull, apex obtuse or acute, papillose;

beak 0.2–0.3 mm.

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

not constricted, dull.

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 red-brown, equaling perigynia, apex acute, awnless.

bract longer than inflorescence, 10–12 mm wide.

= 56.