Flora of North America species comparison

14–37 cm.

23–88 cm × 0.5–1.6 mm, smooth.

basal sheaths dark reddish brown;

blades mostly basal, pale green, shorter than culms, thick, 1.7–4.5 mm wide.

ligules 1–3.5 mm, 1–3 times as long as wide;

blades 1.1–4.4 mm wide, widest blade 1.3–4.4 mm wide.

peduncles of proximal spikes short;

peduncles of terminal staminate spikes 1.5–3(–10) mm;

proximal bracts short-sheathing; pistillate spikes 1–3, emerging from cauline nodes, aggregated, ascending, ovoid to short-cylindric; staminate spikes 8–22 × 1.8–3.1 mm.

(12–)21–63(–71) mm;

proximal internode 3.3–16(–23) mm;

proximal bracts 5–24(–28) mm, awn 1.3–19 mm;

spikes 3–8, usually gynecandrous, sometimes also pistillate, staminate or with pistillate and staminate flowers scattered throughout;

proximal spikes with 0–2 staminate and 9–19 pistillate flowers, 10–17(–20) × 1.8–5 mm;

terminal spikes usually with 0–3 staminate and 8–18 pistillate flowers, 9–20(–25) × 1.5–5 mm.

ellipsoid to obovoid, 2.5–3 × 1.4–1.7 mm, base tapering, pubescent with straight white hairs;

beak 0.5 mm.

erect, green to pale brown, (3–)4–8-veined abaxially, prominently to weakly 3–6-veined adaxially, narrowly lanceolate, (3.3–)4.1–6.7 × 0.8–1.3 mm, (3.5–)4–6.1(–6.6) times as long as wide, apex abruptly contracted or gradually tapering;

beak 1.2–2.2(–2.8) mm, 0.28–0.51 times as long as perigynia, margins serrulate, apex entire or bidentulate, teeth to 0.2 mm, 0–0.05 times as long as perigynia.

obovoid, 1.9–2.5 × 1.3–1.6 mm.

1.7–2.2 × 0.7–1.1 mm, 1.9–2.9 times as long as wide.

pistillate scales dark reddish brown, ovate to obovate, apex obtuse to acute, minutely ciliate; staminate scales dark reddish to purplish brown, ovate to obovate, margins white, apex acute, scarious.

1.9–3.1 mm.

1.7–2.9 mm.

4, erect or convolute, thick, weakly papillose.

2–3.4 mm.

scales with pale to red-brown margins, 2.8–4.1 × 1.1–1.6 mm, apex acuminate or with awn to 0.6 mm.

scales with pale to red-brown margins, 2.8–3.9 × 1.4–1.6 mm, apex acute to acuminate.