Flora of North America species comparison

20–90 cm, 1.7–2.2 mm wide basally, 0.7–1.1 mm wide distally.

erect, straight, bluntly trigonous, 8–40 cm, smooth to slightly scabrous-angled distally.

sheaths tight, green, sometimes white spotted, fronts hyaline, sometimes transversely rugose, mouth yellowish and thickened;

ligules to 3 mm, usually wider than long;

widest leaf blades 2–4 mm wide, papillose adaxially.

basal sheaths dark brown;

ligules 0.4–1.7 mm;

blades flat, shorter than culms, (1.5–)2–3.5(–4) mm wide.

with 3–10 spikes, 1.5–4 cm × 8–12 mm;

proximal internodes equaling or shorter than proximal spikes;

proximal bracts less than 2 cm;

spikes with 8–20 ascending or spreading perigynia.

0.8–1.6 cm;

spikes ca. 5–15, indistinguishable in dense, globose to ovoid head.

pale green to yellow-brown, 9–15-veined abaxially, margins serrulate distally;

beak 0.2–1.2mm, apical teeth 0.2–0.5 mm.

pale yellowish brown proximally, reddish brown to blackish distally and on beak, finely 5–9-veined abaxially, faintly veined or essentially veinless adaxially, flattened, not inflated, narrowly to broadly elliptic, 3.3–4.6 × 1.1–1.9 mm, membranous, shiny;

stipe 0.2–0.6 mm;

beak well defined, 0.9–1.5 mm, smooth-margined.

suborbiculate, 1.9–2.2 × 1.9–2.1 mm.

scales hyaline with green, 3-veined center, ovate to ovate-circular, body narrower than and 2/3 to length of perigynium, apex acute or with awn 0.5–1.5(–2) mm.

scales reddish brown to blackish, ± translucent, lacking whitish hyaline margins, ovate, ± equaling perigynia, apex acute to acuminate, body shiny.

1.5–2.3 mm.

1.5–2.8 mm.