Flora of North America species comparison

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

18–50 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.

sheath adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped to rounded, occasionally prolonged to 4 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 0.5–1.5(–2) mm;

blades 3–4(–6) per fertile culm, 11–26 cm × 2.8–4 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.

dense, dark brown, 1.5–3 cm × 14–20 mm;

proximal internode 1.5–3 mm; 2d internode 1–3.5 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, usually bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

(4–)6–12, aggregated, individually indistinct, ovoid, 9–15 × 4.5–6.5 mm, base and apex acute to rounded.

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 to ascending, green, gold, or brown, conspicuously usually 7–9-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–5-veined adaxially, veins shorter than achene, lanceolate to ovate, plano-convex, to 5.3–7.1 × 1.1–1.5 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.15–0.3 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body;

beak dark brown, sometimes gold-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.9–1.5 mm, dorsal suture inconspicuous or with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2.9–4 mm.

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

ovate to obovate, 1.5–1.9 × 0.8–1.1 mm, 0.4–0.5 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 dark brown, red-brown, or red-gold, sometimes with green to gold midstripe, ovate, 3.6–4.7 mm, shorter than and narrower or as wide as perigynia, margin gold-hyaline, to 0.3 mm wide, apex acuminate or acute.

1.5–3 mm.

= 84.