Flora of North America species comparison

35–110 cm;

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

to 80 cm × 2 mm, scabrous throughout.

sheaths adaxially green, narrow hyaline band near collar, adaxially firm, summits U-shaped, smooth;

distal ligules 1.5–3.2 mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 12–38 cm × 1.5–4 mm.

sheaths all with blades, fronts smooth, lacking spots, veinless, apex yellow, thickened, truncate, cartilaginous, entire;

ligules acute, 5 mm, free limb to 0.5 mm;

blades yellow-green, epistomic, to 60 cm × 6 mm, papillose adaxially (25X).

erect, ± congested, green to light brown, 1.3–3(–3.5) cm × 7–16 mm;

proximal internode 1.5–6 mm; 2d internode 2.5–6.5 mm;

proximal bracts aristate, with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

densely spicate, cylindric, elongate, with 6–15 distinguishable branches, 3–6 × 1.5 cm;

proximal internode to 10 mm;

proximal bracts setaceous, apparent.

2–4(–5), overlapping, globose to ellipsoid, 6–16 × 5–12 mm, base and apex rounded;

terminal spike usually lacking conspicuous staminate base.

(25–)30–80 per spike, spreading at maturity, ascending-spreading, pale brown, conspicuously 5-veined or more abaxially, conspicuously 0–6-veined adaxially, elliptic to ± orbiculate, plano-convex, (3–)3.3–4.8(–5.7) × 1.8–3 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick, 1.2–1.8 times as long as wide, margin flat, including wing 0.4–0.8 mm wide, smooth;

beak light brown at tip, flat, 0.7–1.6(–1.8) mm, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with white or hyaline golden brown margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.6–2.6 mm.

pale brown, red-brown distally, with red-brown veins, 10–12-veined abaxially, 7-veined adaxially, to 6 × 2.6 mm, base slightly distended proximally, cordate;

stipe to 0.2 mm;

beak to 2.5 mm, margins serrulate.

elliptic to narrowly oblong, 1.3–1.7 × 0.9–1.3 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick.

ovate, 2 × 1.3 mm;

stalk to 0.3 mm;

persistent style base cylindric, 0.3 mm.

scales hyaline-brown, with green or pale midstripe, ovate, 2.9–3.5 mm, much shorter and narrower than perigynia, margins pale, apex acute.

hyaline.

= 68, 70.

= 46.