Flora of North America species comparison

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

33–72 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 or brownish tinged, occasionally only in very narrow band extending 2.5 cm proximal to collar;

summit usually U-shaped;

distal ligules 1–2.5(–3.5) mm;

blades 3–4(–5) per fertile culm, 15–30 cm × (2.8–)3–4.5 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.

dense, green and brown, gold and brown, or light brown, (1.7–)2–3 cm × 15–21(–27) mm;

proximal internode (2–)3.5–7(–11) mm; 2d internode 2–5 mm;

proximal bracts bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences or occasionally leaflike.

4–5, distant, distinct, broadly ovoid, 11–16 × 6–12 mm, base rounded to attenuate, apex acute to truncate.

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.

ascending or appressed-ascending, green to gold, veinless on each face or, occasionally, 6-veined abaxially, broadly ovate, usually flat except over achene, (5.5–)6–7.2 × 2.7–3.8 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, 1.8–2.3 times as long as wide, margin flat, including wing 0.5–1.1 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least distally;

beak red-gold to red-brown, sometimes white-hyaline at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 3–4.3 mm.

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

broadly ovate to broadly elliptic, (1.8–)2–2.3 × (1.1–)1.3–1.6 mm, (0.4–)0.5–0.7 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 gold, red-brown, or chestnut-brown, sometimes with green to gold midstripe, lanceolate to broadly ovate, 4.7–6.7 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, margin white 0.1–0.2(–0.4) mm wide, apex acute to acuminate.

1.5–3 mm.