Flora of North America species comparison

10–90(–135) cm.

30–100 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, usually fewer than 12 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

3–6 per culm;

sheaths tight, inner band hyaline, 1.8–2.5 cm, apex concave, glabrous;

ligules 0.6–2.5(–4.5) mm, rounded to ± acute;

blades plicate, 5–40 cm × 0.7–3.3(–3.8) mm, widest leaf 1–3.3(–3.8) mm wide.

sheath summits with adaxial hyaline band, truncate to rounded, sometimes prolonged beyond collar;

distal ligules to 5 mm;

blades 3–5 per fertile culm, 13–40 cm × 2.5–5 mm.

0.7–7.8 cm;

spikes (2–)3–8;

lateral spikes pistillate often with few staminate flowers proximally, 3–15.5 mm, sessile, staminate portion 7-flowered, to 8.2 mm, pistillate portion 3–32-flowered, 2.5–11 mm;

basal 2 spikes 1.7–42 mm apart;

terminal spike gynecandrous, 5–24 mm, staminate portion 2–17-flowered, 2–16.5 × 0.9–2 mm, pistillate portion 4–26-flowered, 2.6–9 × 4.9–9.1 mm.

densely to usually open, at least proximally, silvery white, 2.5–6 cm × 10–25 mm;

proximal internode (4–)8–11 mm; 2d internode 4–8 mm;

proximal bracts bristlelike to 5 cm.

2–4(–5), distant, distinct, ovoid to globose-ovoid, 11–18 × 8–13 mm, base attenuate on terminal spike, rounded on lateral spikes, apex rounded.

spreading to reflexed, castaneous to dark brown, 2–14-veined abaxially, 0–12-veined adaxially over achene, lanceolate to ovate, (2.65–)2.9–4.75 × 0.8–2.1 mm, (1.7–)1.8–3.2(–3.6) times as long as wide;

beak (0.85–)0.95–2 mm, (0.4–)0.45–0.86 length of body, serrulate, teeth (0–)0.15–0.5 mm.

15–80 in larger spikes, ascending, white with light green margins, veinless over achene on each face, orbiculate or little wider than long, flat, 5.5–8(–8.7) × 3.5–6.3 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 1–2 mm wide, smooth;

beak pale brown to reddish at tip, flat, (1.4–)1.6–2.5(–3.4) mm, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous or brown, distance from beak tip to achene 2.5–4 mm.

ovate-lanceolate to rhombic-ovate, 1.3–2.1 × 0.8–1.55 mm.

oblong-elliptic, 2.5–3 × 1.5–2 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick.

scales ovate, (1.4–)2.1–3.1 × 0.7–2.3 mm, apex acute to sometimes obtuse.

scales white-hyaline with light brown 1–3-veined midstripe, lanceolate to ovate, 4–6 mm, as long as and narrower than perignyia.

scales ovate-lanceolate to ovate, 1.3–3.8 × 0.8–1.7 mm, base clavate, apex acute.

0.8–1.6(–2) mm.

acuminate with subulate tip or awnlike, awn of at least proximate staminate scales and sometimes proximal pistillate scales 0.1–0.9(–2.4) mm, scabrous.

= 30+III.

= 58.

= 64, 66.