Flora of North America species comparison

20–110 cm.

45–100 cm;

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

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

distal ligules (1–)2–3(–6) mm;

blades (2–)3–7 per fertile culm, 10–50 cm × 2–5 mm.

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.

usually dense, light to dark brown and green, (0.8–)1.1–2.6 cm × 9.5–17.5 mm;

proximal internode 0.5–3(–4) mm; 2d internode 0.5–2(–3) mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or rarely leaflike, occasionally bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

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.

4–10(–14), densely aggregated, individually indistinct, usually broadly ovoid, 5–9(–11) × 4.3–7 mm, base and apex rounded or sometimes acute.

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

terminal spike with conspicuous staminate base.

ascending to spreading, green or straw colored to brown when mature, conspicuously (0–)3–8(–11)-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–8-veined adaxially, veins usually not reaching top of achene, ovate to broadly ovate, flat except over achene or ± plano-convex because of air within, (2.8–)3.4–4.5(–5.2) × 1.1–2.4 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.5 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body, without metallic sheen, dull to slightly shiny;

beak tip gold or red-brown to dark brown, cylindric, unwinged, at least 1 mm, ± entire for 0.2–0.6(–0.9) mm, abaxial suture inconspicuous or with white margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5–2.5(–2.8) mm.

(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 to obovate, 1.1–1.6 × 0.7–1.2 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick.

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

style sometimes abaxially-adaxially bent at base.

scales brown, often red, purple, or coppery tinged, with pale or green midstripe, ovate, 2.4–3.5 mm, shorter than and narrower or as wide as perigynia, white margin 0–0.1 mm wide, apex acute.

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.

= 80, 90.

= 68, 70.