Flora of North America species comparison

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

obtusely angled, 110 cm × 5 mm, glabrous.

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 with red-brown spots, to 60 cm, backs green or red tinged, fronts membranous, apex concave to V-shaped;

blades 120 cm × 7–18 mm, leathery, margins revolute, prominently keeled, antrorsely scabrous on margins and keel, glaucous when young, glossy adaxially, surface papillose abaxially.

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.

with 5–20 spikes, 25–80 cm; pistillate spikes 4–10, 3–13 cm × 10–12 mm.

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.

pale brown, with uniformly distributed red-brown spots, somewhat flattened to strongly inflated distally, 3.5–4.8 × 1.5–2.5 mm, base cuneate, apex obtuse, somewhat glaucous;

beak red-brown, flared, abaxially obliquely bidentately cut, 0.5 mm.

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

dark brown, stipitate, ellipsoid, 2 × 1.2 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.

1.5–3 mm.

3–4 mm.

red-brown with broad yellow-brown midrib, oblong, 3.5 × 1 mm, margins hyaline, apex acuminate or retuse, awn 0.5–3 mm, ciliate.