Flora of North America species comparison

0.6–1.8 mm thick, shoots often arising 2–several per cluster, many nodes without shoots.

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

bluntly trigonous, (6–)10–35 cm, smooth-angled distally.

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.

basal sheaths grayish brown to dark brown, shredding into fibers;

sheaths with hyaline inner band, apex not prolonged beyond base of blade;

ligules 0–0.8 mm, glabrous;

blades 0.6–1.8 mm wide.

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.

0.7–2 cm, 1/2+ as wide as long (if pistillate);

spikes 3–8, androgynous, ovoid.

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.

dark reddish brown, essentially veinless, ± stipitate, broadly ovate to nearly orbicular, thickly plano-convex, 2.4–3.9 × 1.5–2.1 mm, shiny;

beak 0.3–0.9 mm, hyaline, weakly bidentulate or oblique.

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

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 dark reddish brown, with hyaline margins, broadly ovate, 2.4–4.1 mm, apex acute to acuminate, shiny.

1.5–3 mm.

1.4–3 mm, apiculus smooth to warty, very short and broad (30X).