Flora of North America species comparison

curved, bluntly trigonous, 2–12 cm, smooth-angled distally.

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

basal sheaths brown;

ligules 0.3–0.6 mm;

blades involute, ± equaling culms, 0.5–1.5 mm wide.

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.

0.5–1.2 cm;

spikes (3–)5–7, essentially indistinguishable in dense hemispheric head.

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.

light brown proximally, dark brown distally, usually strongly 8–11-veined abaxially, 4–11-veined adaxially, not or little inflated, narrowly elliptic, 2.9–3.9 × 1–1.5(–1.6) mm, leathery, dull to satiny;

stipe 0.2–0.4 mm;

beak poorly defined, 0.4–0.9 mm, smooth or slightly scabrous-margined.

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.

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

scales brown to dark brown, with narrow whitish hyaline margins, ovate, conspicuously shorter than perigynia, apex ± acute to acuminate, body shiny.

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.

0.9–1.4 mm.

1.5–3 mm.