Flora of North America species comparison

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

(16–)30–70(–95) cm.

sheaths hispidulous;

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

sheath adaxially white-hyaline or summits often tinged brown or copper, U-shaped, not prolonged more than 2.8 mm;

distal ligules 1–2.5(–3.5) mm;

blades (2–)3–5 per fertile culm, 10–30 cm × (1.5–)2–3(–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.

usually open, often nodding, whitish, green, or gold to dark brown, occasionally beaded, (1.7–)2.5–5 cm × 10–15(–17) mm;

proximal internode 4–14 mm; 2d internode (2.5–)4–10 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike to bristlelike, 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.

4–10, distant, distinct, oblanceloid to broadly ovoid, 8.5–20 × 3–9 mm, base acute to attenuate, apex tapered to truncate.

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.

appressed to ascending-spreading, often hyaline, white, green, or gold, brown or coppery over achene, conspicuously (0–)4–11-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–4(–7)-veined adaxially, ovate or, sometimes, lanceolate, plano-convex or flat, (3.7–)4.5–6 × 1.2–2 mm, 0.5–0.8 mm thick, length 2.8–3.1 times width, margin flat, including wing (0.1–)0.2–0.4(–0.5) mm wide, ciliate-serrulate, without glossy metallic sheen;

beak green or gold to red-brown or chestnut-brown, white-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.4–1 mm, abaxial suture conspicuous with white-hyaline margin or inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (1.6–)1.9–3 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.

ovate or obovate, 1.4–2.1(–2.7) × (0.8–)1–1.5 mm, 0.4–0.6 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 white, gold, coppery, or brown, with white or green to brown midstripe, lanceolate to broadly ovate, (3.4–)4.2–5.8 mm, equaling or longer than and narrower than or equaling perigynia, margin white, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex obtuse to acuminate.

scales 5.2–6.9 × 1.5–1.7 mm.

3.4–4.2 mm.

early deciduous ro short-persistent.

= 76, 78.