Flora of North America species comparison

solitary or not, erect, 50–130 cm.

to 100 cm × 2 mm, scabrous.

4–7;

basal sheaths brownish;

sheath of distal leaf 3–21 cm;

ligules rounded to triangular, 6–28 mm;

blades 30–80 cm × 6–13 mm.

sheath fronts spotted red-brown or pale brown, apex short-convex, membranous or slightly thickened, rugose;

ligule retuse, to 0.5 mm, free limb to 0.1 mm;

blades 70 cm × 5 mm, tip not reaching inflorescence.

6–40 cm;

peduncles of proximal spikes 1–13 cm, basal 2 peduncles 2–17 cm apart; of terminal spikes 1–12 cm, shorter than to somewhat exceeding the distal pistillate spike;

bracts leafy, sheath 1–9 cm;

blades 20–70 cm × 4–11 mm.

spicate, 2.5–6 × 1.5 cm, with 10–15 branches, proximal scarcely separate; the proximal internode to 10 mm;

proximal bracts setaceous, not conspicuous, distal bracts scalelike.

proximal pistillate spikes 2–6, the distal usually ± crowded, ascending, densely 8–90-flowered, usually cylindric, 2–8 × 1.5–3 cm;

terminal staminate spikes 1–2, 2–10 cm × 2–5 mm.

ascending to spreading, strongly 17–25-veined, sessile, lance-ovoid, 12–18.5 × 3.8–6 mm, shiny, glabrous;

beak conic, 6–9 mm.

yellow-brown, red dotted, 3–5-veined abaxially, body broadly ovate, 2.5–5 × 2.5–3 mm, base rounded;

beak 0.8–1.2 mm.

stipitate, rhombic, concave faces, angles thickened, prominently knobbed with hard, nipplelike points, 3–4.5 × (2.2–)2.4–3.4 mm;

style same texture as achene.

red-brown, elliptic, 1.4–1.6 × 1.2 mm, dull.

scales 3–9 veined, lanceolate, 6–13 × 1.8–3.2 mm, apex acute to awned, awn rough, to 5.5 mm.

3, 3.5–7 mm.

hyaline, brown, awn to 2 mm, usually shorter than scale body.