Flora of North America species comparison

45–100 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, usually fewer than 15 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked, leaves clustered at apex.

sheaths green or with white intervenal areas, often adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped or prolonged to 2 mm beyond collar;

sheaths finely papillose or smooth;

distal ligules 1–3 mm;

blades 3–5 per fertile culm, 15–30 cm × 1–3.5 mm.

arching or nodding, ± open, green to light brown, 2.5–6 cm × 4.5–11 mm;

proximal internode 3–18 mm; 2d internode 3–13 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

3–10, distinct, ellipsoid to globose, 6–16 × 5–6.5 mm, base acute to attenuate, apex rounded;

terminal spike with conspicuous staminate base.

(20–)25–60 in larger spikes, spreading, pale green to yellowish brown, conspicuously 5-veined or more abaxially, veinless or mostly indistinctly or basally 2–4(–6)-veined adaxially, orbiculate to elliptic, plano-convex, 2.5–4.2 × 1.5–2.3(–2.5) mm, 0.4–0.6 mm thick, nearly leathery, margin flat, including wing 0.3–0.6 mm wide, smooth;

beak green or light brown at tip, flat, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with conspicuous white-hyaline margin, distance from beak tip to achene 0.8–1.7(–2) mm.

ovate, 1.2–1.8 × 1–1.3 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick;

style sometimes abaxially-adaxially bent at base.

scales white-hyaline with white, green, or gold center, broadly lanceolate, 2.3–3.8 mm, shorter than and narrower than perigynia, apex acute.

1–2.1 mm.

= 68, 70.