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.

sharply trigonous in cross section, (15–)25–95(–110) cm, scabrous-angled distally.

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.

basal sheaths reddish purple;

ligules as wide to slightly longer than wide;

blades dark green, flat to W-shaped, widest leaves (4–)4.5–11.5(–13) mm wide, glabrous.

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.

2.7–18 cm;

proximal bract 9–45 cm, exceeding inflorescence;

proximal 1–3(–4) spikes pistillate, erect or the proximal often spreading, (12–)15–22 mm thick, if spikes less than 15 mm thick, then usually less than 2.5 times as long as wide;

terminal 1 spike staminate.

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.

spreading, strongly 7–12-veined, veins separate nearly to beak apex, broadly ovate, (6–)6.5–10.8 × (1.8–)2–3.5(–4.2), apex contracted;

beak 2.5–5.9 mm, 0.7–0.9 length of body, bidentate, smooth, teeth straight, to 0.2–0.8 mm.

substipitate, 1.2–2.6 × 1–1.2 mm.

yellow to brown, trigonous, papillose.

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 narrowly oblong, 3.4–11.2 × 0.5–1.1 mm, as long as or shorter than perigynia, margins often ciliate, apex truncate to retuse, erose, prolonged to scabrous awn.

scales with distinct, scabrous awn, sometimes ciliate-margined.

3.

= 50, 52, 54.