Flora of North America species comparison

(20–)30–100 cm, 2.5–8 mm wide basally, 0.7–1.6 mm wide distally.

(30–)50–90 cm.

sheaths usually loose, proximally green-and-white-striped, not white spotted, with conspicuous transverse veins on back, fronts hyaline, sometimes transversely rugose and red dotted, thin, white or hyaline and fragile at mouth;

ligules 2–7 mm, shorter to longer than wide;

widest leaf blades (3–)4–8 mm wide.

sheaths sometimes adaxially brownish tinged, summits rounded to acute, usually prolonged to 1–5 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 1.5–4.5 mm, often shorter than sheath summits;

blades (3–)4–5(–7) per fertile culm, 20–45 cm × 3–5(–6.5) mm.

with 5–15 spikes, 1–5 cm × 8–15 mm, occasionally compound, then somewhat larger;

proximal bracts to 3 cm;

spikes with 5–15 ascending to spreading perigynia;

proximal internodes shorter than to 1.5 times as long as proximal spikes.

open, usually dense distally, green, silvery, or pale gold, 4–6.5 cm × 10–18 mm;

proximal internode (7–)10–20 mm; 2d internode 4–8.5 mm;

proximal bracts leaflike or bristlelike, if leaflike then much longer than inflorescence, base usually surrounding culm.

(6–)10–20, distant, distinct, obovoid, or sometimes lanceoloid to ovoid, (12–)14–17 × 5–8 mm, base usually attenuate, apex rounded or acute.

pale green to pale brown, veinless or 3–7(–12)-veined abaxially, rarely veined adaxially, 3.5–5.5 × 2–3 mm, body somewhat spongy, base thickened, margins serrulate distally;

beak 0.6–1.6 mm, apical teeth 0.3–1 mm.

appressed-ascending to ascending-spreading, whitish green to pale gold, conspicuously (6–)8–11-veined abaxially, conspicuously or, occasionally, faintly 4–8-veined adaxially, veins more than 2/3 achene length, at least 3 adaxial veins longer than achene, ovate, plano-convex, (3.5–)4–5.2 × 1.5–1.8 mm, 0.6–0.8 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.15–0.3(–0.4) mm wide, usually curved toward adaxial surface of perigynia, ciliate-serrulate at least distally;

beak green, gold, or white at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (1.8–)2–3 mm.

circular to elliptic- circular, 1.8–2.1 × 1.6–2 mm.

ovate, elliptic, oblong or obovate, 1.8–2 × 1.1–1.3 mm, 0.6–0.7 mm thick.

scales hyaline or brown with green, 1–3-veined center, ovate, 2.6–4.4 × 1.3–2.4 mm, body shorter to slightly longer than perigynium, apex acuminate to short-awned.

scales white-hyaline with conspicuous green midstripe, sometimes tinged pale gold, ovate, 3.5–5.5 mm, shorter and narrower than or ± equaling perigynia, base curved around perigynia, apex acute to awned.

1.5–3 mm.