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.

often arching, weak, 10–40(–60) 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 pale to mid brown abaxially, inner band thin and hyaline, concave at summit;

ligules as wide as long, 2–8 mm;

blades usually gray-green, flat to channeled, 5–15 cm × 1–2 mm, usually shorter than culms.

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.

erect, 1–2 cm × 5–12 mm;

proximal bracts usually scalelike, shorter than spikes.

2–4, closely approximate, individually distinct, proximal lateral spikes pistillate, containing 5–10(–15) perigynia, oblong-linear;

terminal spike gynecandrous, containing 10(–20) perigynia, clavate.

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.

ascending, light to pale brown, often gray-brown at maturity, lightly or obscurely several-veined, from broadly elliptic-obovate to lanceolate, 1.5–3.5 × 1.–1.5 mm, widest near middle, subcoriaceous;

beak short, entire.

substipitate, 1.2–2.6 × 1–1.2 mm.

mid brown to red-brown, elliptic, 1.5 × 1–1.25 mm, dull to slightly glossy.

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 pale to red-brown with yellow-brown center and white-hyaline margins, oblong-ovate, subequal to perigynia, apex obtuse.

= 50, 52, 54.

= 66.