Flora of North America species comparison

(9–)16–60 cm.

31–115 cm × 0.9–2 mm, smooth, serrulate, or scabriduous at mid height.

sheath adaxially white-hyaline, summits usually U-shaped, rarely prolonged to 3 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 0.5–2.5(–3) mm;

blades 2–6 per fertile culm, (4–)8–18 cm × (1.7–)2–3.6(–4) mm.

ligule of distal leaf (2–)3.5–7.1 mm, 2–3.9 times as long as wide;

blades 1.8–5.9 mm wide, widest blade 2.3–5.9 mm wide.

stiffly erect, dense, brown or dark brown, 0.9–2.1 cm × 10–15(–18.5) mm;

proximal internode 1.5–3.7(–4.8) mm; 2d internode 1–3 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

(33–)40–89(–103) mm;

proximal internode 6–32 mm;

proximal bracts 14–43 mm, awn 10–39 mm;

spikes 5–9, usually gynecandrous;

proximal spikes usually with 1–4 staminate and (14–)18–31(–40) pistillate flowers, 12–22(–25) × 3.9–6.5 mm;

terminal spikes usually with 1–5 staminate and 14–28 pistillate flowers, 9.6–16 × 3.4–6.2 mm.

(3–)5–9, densely aggregated, ± individually indistinct, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 5.5–10.5 × 4–7 mm, base rounded to acute or tapered, apex truncate to tapered.

appressed-ascending to ascending-spreading, straw colored, gold, red-brown, or coppery, conspicuously 0–7(–11)-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–3-veined adaxially, narrowly to broadly ovate, plano-convex to biconvex, occasionally ± flat around achene, 3.5–4.5 × (1.1–)1.3–2 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.5 mm wide, darker than perigynium body, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body, pithlike tissue usually present in proximal perigynium walls in U-shape around achene, glossy metallic sheen;

beak white, golden brown, red-brown, brown, or dark brown, usually white-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for (0.4–)0.5–0.6(–0.9) mm, abaxial suture usually white, conspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene (1.2–)1.6–2.4 mm.

erect to appressed-erect, green to brown, prominently to weakly 3–7-veined abaxially, prominently to weakly 0–3(–6)-veined adaxially, narrowly lanceolate, 3.4–5.2 × 1.1–1.4 mm, 2.9–4 times as long as wide, apex abruptly contracted to gradually tapering;

beak 1.5–2.5 mm, 0.4–0.53 times as long as perigynia, margins serrulate, apex bidentulate, teeth (0.2–)0.3–1 mm, (0.06–)0.09–0.2 times as long as perigynia.

usually elliptic, (1.2–)1.4–1.9 × 0.85–1.1 mm, 0.35–0.5 mm thick.

1.5–2.1 × 0.9–1.3 mm, 1.3–1.8 times as long as wide.

scales gold to brown, often reddish, sometimes with whitish or gold midstripe, ovate to broadly ovate, 2.7–3.5(–4) mm, shorter or longer and usually narrower than perigynia, margin, white-hyaline usually conspicuous, 0.03–0.25 mm wide, apex usually obtuse.

scales with whitish to castaneous margins, (2.2–)2.5–4.1 × 1.4–2 mm, body 2.2–2.9(–3.1) mm, apex acuminate to short-awned to 1.5 mm.

scales with whitish to castaneous margins, 3.1–4.3 × 1–1.5 mm, apex acute to short-awned.

1.3–1.8 mm.

1.8–2.5 mm.

= 86.