Flora of North America species comparison

5.5–20 cm.

20–100 cm;

vegetative culms with few leaves clustered at apex.

basal sheaths reddish brown, blades mostly basal, pale green, shorter than culms, thin, 1–3.1 mm wide.

sheath summits U-shaped;

distal ligules 2.3–4.8 mm;

blades 3–5 per fertile culm, 10–32 cm × 1.4–3(–3.5) mm.

peduncles of proximal spikes short;

peduncles of terminal staminate spikes 1–3.1 mm;

proximal bracts short-sheathing; pistillate spikes 2–3, emerging from cauline nodes, aggregated, ascending, ovoid to ellipsoid;

terminal staminate spikes 5–6.8 × 1.1–1.5 mm.

arching or nodding, dense or open, green, yellow, or brown at maturity, 1.5–6 cm × 5–20 mm;

proximal internode 2–12 mm; 2d internode 2–13 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tip.

3–10, distinct, ellipsoid, 7–16 × 3–9(–13) mm, base acute to short-attenuate, apex acute to rounded.

ellipsoid, 2.3–3.3 × 1.1–1.4 mm, base cuneate, pubescent with coarse, wrinkled white hairs;

beak straight, 0.3–0.4 mm.

ascending or rarely widely spreading, golden brown, conspicuously 5-veined on each face or fewer adaxially, winged to base, lanceolate, flat except over achene, 4.2–6.8 × 1.2–2 mm, length at least 3 times width, 0.35–0.55 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.6 mm wide;

beak pale to golden-brown at tip, flattish, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with white or golden brown hyaline margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2.2–4.8 mm.

ellipsoid, 1.7–2.1 × 1–1.3 mm.

ovate or elliptic, 1.3–1.7 × 0.7–0.9 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.

pistillate scales reddish brown, ovate, apex obtuse, minutely ciliate.

1.3–1.4 mm; staminate scales dark reddish brown, ovate, margins white, apex obtuse to rounded, scarious.

3, thin, flexuous, strongly papillose.

scales hyaline brown, occasionally with green or gold midstripe, lanceolate, 3.4–4 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex acuminate.

= 54.