Flora of North America species comparison

(9–)16–60 cm.

30–100 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, with fewer than 15(–17) leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

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.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped to truncate, sometimes prolonged 1–2 mm beyond collar, not puckered, finely papillose;

distal ligules 2.5–4.8 mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 14–32 cm × 1.5–3 mm.

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.

compact to open, occasionally elongate and arching or nodding, reddish brown or straw colored, 1.5–5 cm × 7–15 mm;

proximal internode 5–15 mm; 2d internode 3–7 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

(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.

(4–)6–8(–10), distinct, ovoid, 7–15 × 5–9 mm, base rounded, apex rounded or nearly acute.

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.

15–80 in larger spikes, ascending, light green to straw colored, conspicuously 5–9-veined abaxially, veinless or faintly 1–5-veined adaxially, broadly ovate to ovate-orbiculate, plano-convex, 3.3–5 × 2.3–3.5 mm, 0.5–0.8 mm thick, irregular, margin flat, including wing 0.4–0.8 mm wide, with 1–2 veins in yellowish wing, smooth;

beak red-brown at tip, flat, 0.7–1.6(–1.8) mm, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture ± conspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 1.8–3.1 mm.

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

ovate or orbiculate, 1.4–1.8 × 1.1–1.5 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick.

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 light yellow-brown with paler midvein, lance-subulate or lanceolate, occasionally broadly lanceolate, (3.2–)3.4–3.8(–4.2) mm, 0.2–1.3 mm shorter than perignyium beaks, narrower than perigynia, margins white-hyaline, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, apex acute.

1.3–2.6 mm.

= 86.

= 70, 74.