Flora of North America species comparison

25–60(–85) cm;

vegetative culms with few leaves clustered at apex.

25–45 cm, distally finely scabrous.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped;

distal ligules 1.5–6 mm;

blades (2–)3–4(–5) per fertile culm, 7–22 cm × 2–4 mm.

1–3 mm wide.

erect, usually dense, green, gold, or dark brown, 1.8–3 cm8–14 mm;

proximal internode 2–3(–5) mm; 2d internode 1–3 mm;

proximal bracts bristlelike, shorter than or equaling inflorescences.

proximal bracts shorter than inflorescences;

spikes erect or, sometimes, lateral spikes pendent or divergent, separate, short-pendunculate, short-oblong or elongate, 5–20 × 3.5–4 mm;

lateral 1–3 spikes pistillate, of similar lengths;

terminal spike gynecandrous, consisting of few pistillate flowers at summit of an otherwise staminate spikes (when perigynia fall at maturity, spikes appear to be wholly staminate).

6–14, distant, distinct, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 8–10 × 4.5–6.5 mm, base and apex acute to truncate.

ascending, white to gold or light brown, 0–5-veined abaxially, 0–4-veined adaxially, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, flat except over achene or, occasionally, plano-convex, 3.4–4.1(–4.7) × 0.9–1.3 mm, 0.15–0.35 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.2 mm wide, usually crinkled distally;

beak brown or red-brown at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (1.8–)2.1–3 mm.

ascending, pale yellow to light brown, faintly veined, obovate or circular, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2 mm, apex abruptly beaked, distal margins papillose, serrulate;

beak 0.25–0.5 mm, bidentate, finely papillose and serrulate.

± elliptic, 1.1–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, 0.15–0.35 mm thick;

style usually persistent, sinuate.

nearly filling body of perigynia.

scales gold to dark brown, with whitish, green, or brown midstripe, lanceolate, 3–3.8 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex acuminate to short-awned.

scales light brown, somewhat hyaline, margins hyaline, often broadly so, narrowly lanceolate or ovate, shorter than and narrower than perigynia, midvein broad and lighter colored than body, conspicuous, sometimes raised, prominent, apex acute or short-mucronate.

= 52, ca. 66, 70.