Flora of North America species comparison

erect or ascending, 7–52 cm × 0.5–1 mm.

23–37 cm.

basal sheaths white or light brown;

nonbasal sheaths green, 8–37 mm;

blades green, 8–44 cm × 0.8–5 mm, shorter than or overtopping culm, 0.5–1.3(–1.8) times as tall as tallest flowering culm;

blades of vegetative shoots 1–3.5 times wider than bract blades.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped or rounded;

distal ligules 1–2.5 mm;

blades 2–4 per fertile culm, 7–13 cm × (1.5–)2–3 mm.

2.2–11.4 cm × 1–3 mm.

spikes (2–)4 per culm, scattered;

peduncles of pistillate spikes 0.5–10.2 cm; of staminate spike 0.4–8.7 cm.

open, brown or orange-brown, (1–)1.8–3 cm × 6–11 mm;

proximal internode 4.5–9 mm; 2d internode, when present, 2–7 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or tipped with stout awn or bristle, shorter than inflorescences.

(1–)2–3, distant, distinct, narrowly oblanceloid to oblanceloid, (12–)14–22 × 5.5–7 mm, base attenuate, apex acute to rounded.

3–9 per spike, finely veined, obovoid, 2–4.2 × 1.2–1.8 mm;

beak tapering.

appressed to appressed-ascending, green to gold, conspicuously 8–14-veined abaxially, conspicuously 4–8-veined adaxially, at least 3 adaxial veins longer than achene, lanceolate to ovate, plano-convex, 5.9–8.5 × 1.5–2.2 mm, (0.5–)0.6–0.7 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.3–0.5(–0.6) mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least distally;

beak red-brown or brown, often white-hyaline at tip, usually cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.5–0.8 mm, occasionally flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (2.6–)3–4.1 mm.

slender, ascending through entire orifice.

obovoid, 1.8–2.8 × 1–1.6 mm, sides plane or slightly concave at maturity, tightly fitting perigynia.

ovate, elliptic, or obovate, (1.9–)2–3 × 1.1–1.5 mm, 0.4–0.7 mm thick.

spikes: proximal usually basal, erect, ascending, or drooping, short to long pedunclulate, 6–18 × 4–5 mm.; pistillate scales keeled, 1.8–2 × 1–1.2 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline, apex acute, proximal scales of lateral spikes subtending perigyinia.

scales reddish brown or gold, with pale gold midstripe, lanceolate, 4.5–5.8 mm, 3/4 length of and narrower than perigynia, margin white, 0–0.15 mm wide, apex acute.

spike 1, linear to linear-clavate, 11–24 × (1–)1.2–2.7 mm.; staminate scales oblong, 2–3.6(–5.5) × 1–1.5 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline, frequently brown tinged, apex acute.

scales with white-hyaline margin 0–0.2 mm wide.

2–3.3 mm.