Flora of North America species comparison

densely tufted, central, erect or ascending, 28–44 cm × 1.4–1.8 mm.

often nodding, 20–90 cm, vegetative culms inconspicuous with few leaves clustered at apex.

basal sheaths purple or slightly purple;

sheaths 2–24 mm;

blades erect or ascending, green or yellow-green, midrib developed adaxially, 2 lateral veins developed abaxially, flat, 12–28 cm × 3.5–12 mm, overwintering dead leaves lateral to new clumps, smooth adaxially.

sheaths abaxially hyaline, adaxially whitish mottled, summits U-shaped, shortly prolonged less than 2.8 mm beyond collar, smooth or sometimes papillose (at 30X);

distal ligules 1–2 mm;

blades 3–5 per fertile culm, 15–35 cm × 1.3–2.5(–3) mm.

1.4–12.4 cm × 1–6 mm, angles of bract sheath smooth or minutely papillose, bract blade of distal lateral spikes linear.

peduncles of lateral spikes 0–6.4 cm; of terminal spike 0.2–2.6 cm.

often flexible and nodding, open, with elongate spikes, brown, (2–)2.5–5 cm × 7–10 mm;

proximal internode (4–)7–17(–20) mm; 2d internode (3–)6–10 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or to 1(–4) cm;

rachis usually thin and wiry.

4(–5) per culm;

lateral spikes (15–)19–33 × 3.4–4 mm;

internodes in proximalmost spikes 3.3–14 mm;

terminal spike linear, 6–25 × 2–3 mm.

3–8, distant or loosely aggregated, ovoid to globose, 4–10 × 3.5–6 mm, base tapered or clavate, apex rounded.

6–18 per spike, separate or loosely overlapping, finely, conspicuously (22–)25–32-veined, broadly obovate, 2.2–3.3 × 1.2–1.6 mm;

beak curved, 0.1–0.3 mm.

erect to ascending, brown, conspicuously 5–7-veined abaxially, veinless or faintly 3–7-veined adaxially, ovate to broadly ovate, plano-convex, 2.8–4(–4.5) × 1.4–1.9(–2) mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, 2–2.3 times as long as wide, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.5 mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least distally;

beak spreading, appressed or ascending;

straw colored to reddish brown at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 1.3–2.7 mm.

ovoid, 2–2.8 × 1–1.4 mm.

ovate, 1.3–1.7 × 0.85–1.1 mm, 0.5 mm thick.

scales 2.8–3 × 2–2.4 mm, apex apiculate or aristate.

scales white-hyaline or pale brown with green to brown midstripe not reaching scale tip, proximal scales ovate, 2.3–3.3 mm, shorter by 0–1.6 mm and narrower than perigynia, apex obtuse on proximal scales, acute on distal.

scales oblong ovate, 3.5–4.5 × 0.8–1.2 mm, margins hyaline or brownish, apex obtuse or acute.

2.4–2.8 mm.

= 52, 54, 56.