Flora of North America species comparison

yellow-brown to dark brown at base, 15–60 cm.

9–30(–40) cm.

sheaths hispidulous;

blades green, widest blades (3–)3.4–5.4(–6.5) mm wide, glabrous abaxially or sparsely hispidulous on midrib.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, sometimes cross-corrugate adaxially, summits usually U-shaped, sometimes prolonged to 3 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 0.3–2 mm;

blades 3–4(–5) per fertile culm, 3–16 cm × 1.5–4 mm.

0.19–0.48 of culm height;

peduncles of lateral spikes smooth or barely scaberulous;

peduncles of terminal spikes (4.2–)7.5–37(–43) mm, much exceeding lateral spikes;

proximal bract with sheath tight, abaxially scabrous, sheath front apex convex, elongated (0.6–)1.6–4.9(–6.6) mm beyond apex;

ligules 3.3–5 mm;

distal bract usually much exceeding terminal spike.

dense, dark brown, green and brown, or gold, 1.1–2.1 cm × 13–18 mm;

proximal internode 1–2.5(–3.4) mm; 2d internode 0.5–2 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, shorter than inflorescences.

3–5, separate or distal 2–4 spikes overlapping;

lateral spikes pistillate, with 2–7 perigynia, 6–29 × 3.8–6.8 mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number = 3.5–4.8;

longest terminal spikes 14–34(–42) × 1.3–3(–3.5) mm.

5–7(–9), aggregated, individually indistinct broadly ovoid, 6.5–10 × 4.5–8 mm, base and apex usually rounded.

distichously imbricate, 52–59-veined, unwrinkled, obovoid or narrowly obovoid, obtusely triangular in cross section, (4.5–)4.6–5.6(–6.2) × 1.9–2.2(–2.3) mm, (2.1–)2.3–2.8(–3) times as long as wide, dull, base gradually tapered, apex abruptly contracted;

beak excurved, (0.5–)0.8–1.3 mm.

ascending to ascending-spreading, light brown to coppery or dark brown, conspicuously 0–3(–8)-veined adaxially, lance-ovate to broadly ovate, flat except over achene, 4–6.5 × 1.5–2.6 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.3–0.6(–0.8) mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body;

beak dark brown to black, white-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, at least 1 mm, ± entire for 0.3–0.6 mm, abaxial suture inconspicuous or with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene (2.3–)2.6–3.8 mm.

obovoid-ellipsoid, 3.2–3.9(–4.2) × (1.6–)1.8–2.1 mm, tightly enveloped by perigynia;

stipe bent 45–70°, 0.4–0.6 mm;

beak bent more than 90°, 0.3–0.5 mm.

elliptic or ovate, (1.2–)1.4–1.8 × 0.8–1.1(–1.3) mm, 0.3–0.45 mm thick.

scales (4.1–)5.6–9.4(–11.6) × 1.6–2.6(–3.3) mm, margins whitish, denticulate, apex with awn 1.1–6.8 mm.

scales reddish or coppery to dark brown, sometimes with whitish or pale gold midstripe, narrowly ovate to ovate, 3–4.8 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex acute to obtuse.

scales 5.2–6.9 × 1.5–1.7 mm.

3.4–4.2 mm.

= 82.