Flora of North America species comparison

15–38 cm.

20–70 cm, distally finely scabrous.

sheath summits white-hyaline, green ribbed, U-shaped, occasionally prolonged to 4 mm distal to collar;

distal ligules 1–3(–3.5) mm;

blades 2–4 per fertile culm, 4.5–18 cm × 1.5–2.5 mm.

2.5–5 mm wide.

nodding, dense, dark or medium brown, 1–1.2 cm × 5.5–10 mm;

proximal internode 1.3–3 mm; 2d internode 0.6–1.5 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike to bristlelike.

proximal bracts shorter than or exceeding inflorescences;

spikes distinct, spreading or the proximal pendent and often separate, elongate, 10–25 × 5–8 mm;

lateral 3–6 spikes pistillate, long-pendunculate;

terminal spike gynecandrous.

3–6, usually individually indistinct, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 4.5–6.5 × 2.5–5.5 mm, base and apex acute to rounded;

terminal spike without conspicuous staminate base.

ascending-spreading to spreading, gold to dark brown, conspicuously 0–7-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–4-veined adaxially, ovate, plano-convex, 2.6–3.2 × 0.9–1.3 mm, 0.5–0.65 mm thick, margin unwinged, pithlike tissue usually present in proximal perigynia walls;

beak medium or dark brown at tip, often with white-hyaline, cylindric to somewhat flat, abaxial suture with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.2–1.6 mm, entire.

ascending, yellow brown or chestnut, veinless, ovate or elliptic, 2.5–3 × 1.5–1.75 mm, apex abruptly beaked, distally papillose;

beak 0.4–0.5 mm, bidentate, smooth.

ovate to obovate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–1 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick.

filling proximal 1/2 or less of perigynia.

scales dark brown, usually with pale or green midstripe, ovate, 1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, usually shorter, narrower than perigynia, margin occasionally hyaline gold, to 0.4 mm wide, apex obtuse or acute.

scales light to dark brown with hyaline margins, lanceolate, longer than and as broad as perigynia, midvein same color as body, inconspicuous or lighter in color, conspicuous, raised, prominent, sometimes short-mucronate.

= 64