Flora of North America species comparison

dark maroon at base; flowering stems 0.5–1.1 mm thick, 20–90 cm, much longer than leaves at maturity, glabrous, but often scabrous within inflorescence.

18–66 cm.

sheaths glabrous or short-pubescent, basal few bladeless and maroon, others grading from maroon to green on back, pale brown-hyaline, red dotted and sometimes pubescent near apex;

blades flat, 3–9 mm wide, glabrous, minutely scabrous on margins distally.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, often tinged brown distally, summits U-shaped or rounded, sometimes prolonged beyond collar;

distal ligules 1–3(–4.5) mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 10–30(–45) cm × 1.5–3.7(–4.9) mm.

peduncles of lateral spikes slender, to 40 mm, equaling spikes or usually somewhat shorter, scabrous;

peduncle of terminal spike to 13 mm, glabrous or scabrous;

proximal bracts shorter than inflorescences;

sheaths 20–25 mm;

blades 3–4 mm wide.

dense or open, brown and green, 1.2–2.2 cm × (6–)9–18 mm;

proximal internode 1–3 mm; 2d internode 1–2 mm, these 2 internodes collectively less than 1/3 as long as inflorescences;

proximal bracts bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

4–9, distinct or densely aggregated and individually indistinct, usually ovoid to broadly ovoid, 4.4–10.8 × 2.7–8.4 mm, base and apex acute to rounded.

green, usually red dotted, 2-ribbed and finely 8–12-veined, veins more obvious near base, ellipsoid to oblong-ovoid, loosely enveloping achenes, 2–3.7 × 1.3–1.6 mm, membranous, acute at base, tapering gradually to acute beakless apex, glabrous.

appressed-ascending to ascending-spreading, red-brown, coppery, or chestnut, conspicuously (5–)7–10-veined abaxially, conspicuously 3–8-veined adaxially, veins reaching top of achene, elliptic to lance-ovate, plano-convex to biconvex or, sometimes, flat around achene, (2.9–)3.6–5.4 × 1–2.1 mm, 0.4–0.5(–0.6) mm thick, margin flat, including wing usually 0.2–0.3 mm wide, often incurved adaxially, perigynia then boat-shaped, ciliate-serrulate on distal body;

beak coppery or dark brown at tip, occasionally narrowly flattened, cylindric, unwinged, usually less than 1 mm, ± entire for 0.5–0.8 mm, abaxial suture usually with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene (1.6–)2–2.3 mm.

substipitate, 1.2–2.6 × 1–1.2 mm.

narrowly compressed elliptic to ovate-quadrate, 1.2–1.8 × 0.7–1.1 mm, (0.3–)0.4–0.5 mm thick.

spikes 2–5, 1 per node, well separated, drooping at maturity, pistillate with 10–45 perigynia attached 2 mm apart, linear, 10–70 × 2–3.5 mm.

spike gynecandrous, 10–60 × 1–3 mm.

scales white-hyaline tinged with chestnut, broad green midrib often red dotted, sometimes scabrous, ovate to oblong, shorter than mature perigynia, apex rounded or cuspidate with ciliate awn less than 1 mm, otherwise glabrous.

scales red-brown or chestnut to coppery, with green, gold, or light brown midstripe, usually ovate, 2.4–3.9 mm, shorter than perigynia, width less than or equal to perigynia, margin white, 0–0.05 mm wide, apex obtuse to acuminate.

= 50, 52, 54.