Flora of North America species comparison

15–38 cm.

40–110 cm;

vegetative culms inconspicuous with 9–17 leaves mostly clustered near apex of culm.

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.

sheaths abaxially green or with pale intervenal areas with scattered, horizontal green septa, adaxially hyaline band broad, smooth, summit concave to truncate, equaling to extending 2 mm beyond collar;

ligules 1.8–4.8 mm;

blades 4–6 per fertile culm, 2.5–35 cm × 1.8–4.2 mm.

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.

erect to slightly arching, compact to elongated, pale brown, 2.8–5.9 cm × 6–17 mm;

proximal internode 3.5–12(–17) mm; 2d internode 3–9(–13) mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, often with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

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.

(3–)4–7(–11), distinct, ovoid, 9.5–20.5 × 6–9 mm, base rounded to tapered, apex rounded.

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.

15–80 on larger spikes, ascending, yellowish green to brown with paler margins, conspicuously 7–11-veined abaxially, faintly (0–)2–8-veined adaxially, wings with 1–4 veins, ovate, elliptic, or ± orbiculate, plano-convex, (4.5–)4.8–6.1(–6.3) × 2.5–3.8 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, herbaceous, opaque with achene not clearly visible through adaxial face of perigynium, base rounded, margin flat, including wing 0.5–1.3 mm, smooth;

beak yellowish green to pale brown, strongly flattened, (1.2–)1.5–2.1(–2.3) mm, serrulate-margined to apex, abaxial suture pale or copper-brown, distance from beak tip to achene (2–)2.3–3.3 mm.

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

ovate to elliptic, 1.8–2.4 × 1.3–1.7 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, apiculum to 0.4–0.9 mm.

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 pale brown with narrow yellow-green to brown midstripe prominent to tip, lanceolate, (3.7–)4–5.2 mm, (2.6–)2.9–3.7(–4.2) times as long as wide, reaching base to middle of perigynium beak, shorter than perigynia by (0.4–)0.6–1.4(–1.6) mm, margin hyaline, apex firm and herbaceous, flat or inrolled, with subulate tip or awned.

scales acuminate.

(1.8–)2.2–3.6 mm.

= 64

= 60.