Flora of North America species comparison

short or inconspicuous.

in dense tufts, 13–70(–100) cm.

20–100 cm;

vegetative culms with few leaves clustered at apex.

not green, usually glaucous, cauline blades 2–27 cm × 1.2–5.3 mm.

sheath summits U-shaped;

distal ligules 2.3–4.8 mm;

blades 3–5 per fertile culm, 10–32 cm × 1.4–3(–3.5) mm.

arching or nodding, dense or open, green, yellow, or brown at maturity, 1.5–6 cm × 5–20 mm;

proximal internode 2–12 mm; 2d internode 2–13 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tip.

3–10, distinct, ellipsoid, 7–16 × 3–9(–13) mm, base acute to short-attenuate, apex acute to rounded.

olive to yellowish green or at age yellowish brown, elliptic- or oblong-ovoid to obovoid, 2.2–3.1(–3.7) × 1.2–1.8(–2) mm, 1.4–2.2(–2.4) times as long as thick;

beak 0.1–0.3 mm, orifice nearly entire.

ascending or rarely widely spreading, golden brown, conspicuously 5-veined on each face or fewer adaxially, winged to base, lanceolate, flat except over achene, 4.2–6.8 × 1.2–2 mm, length at least 3 times width, 0.35–0.55 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.6 mm wide;

beak pale to golden-brown at tip, flattish, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with white or golden brown hyaline margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2.2–4.8 mm.

1.8–2.3 × 1–1.4 mm.

ovate or elliptic, 1.3–1.7 × 0.7–0.9 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.

peduncle of terminal spike 0.1–3.5 cm;

bracts (middle and distal ones) overtopping spikes;

ligule of proximal bract (2–)3–17.5(–26) mm;

longest bract blade (per plant) of distal lateral spike 4.1–15.8 cm.

spikes usually arising from distal 1/2 of culms, 6–27(–32) × 3–6 mm.

spike 6–35(–43) mm, shorter than to barely exceeding and overlapping distal lateral spike.

scales ovate or ovateoblong, 1.4–2.5(–2.9) × 0.8–1.4 mm.

scales hyaline brown, occasionally with green or gold midstripe, lanceolate, 3.4–4 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex acuminate.

scales with apex acute to acuminate or cuspidate.

1.6–2.9 mm.

= 36, 38, 40, 42.