Flora of North America species comparison

(24–)35–85 cm.

20–80 cm;

vegetative culms with leaf blades in stiff rosettes.

sheath adaxially white-hyaline, summits U-shaped to rounded;

distal ligules 2–3 mm;

blades (1–)2–4(–5) per fertile culm, flat ± to tip, 7–22 cm × (1.5–)2–3.5(–4) mm.

sheaths adaxially green-veined nearly to collar, with a white-hyaline band or sharp Y-shaped hyaline region at collar; adaxially firm, summits truncate, prolonged 0.3 mm beyond collar, abaxially finely papillose;

distal ligules 2–7 mm;

blades 2–4 per fertile culm, 14–30 cm × 3–6(–8) mm.

stiffly erect, usually open, brown, 1.5–4 cm × 10–15 mm;

proximal internode (2.5–)4–10 mm; 2d internode (2.5–)3–6 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

dense or open, light green or brown, 1.5–4(–5) cm × 7–16 mm;

proximal internode 3–5(–12) mm; 2d internode 2–9 mm;

proximal bracts bristlelike or, sometimes, leaflike.

5–9, usually loosely aggregated, ovoid to broadly ovoid, 9–14 × 6–8 mm, base attenuate, apex rounded to tapered.

3–10, distant, distinct, conic or ovoid, 6–12 × 4–7 mm, base truncate or rounded, apex obtuse; staminate portion 2 mm or less.

ascending to ascending-spreading, gold to light brown, conspicuously 3–9-veined abaxially, conspicuously 2–5-veined adaxially, lanceolate to ovate, usually flat except over achene, 3.4–4.7(–5.2) × 1.3–2.1 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2–0.6 mm wide;

beak red-brown or gold at tip, usually cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.3–0.5 mm, sometimes flat, ciliate-serrulate to tip, abaxial suture often with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene (1.2–)1.5–2 mm.

appressed, greenish to dark brown, conspicuously 3–7-veined abaxially, inconspicuously veined adaxially, obovate, concavo-convex, 3–4.2 × (1.8–)2–3.2 mm, 0.5–0.7 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.5–0.8 mm wide;

beak appressed-ascending, brown at tip, flat, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with white or hyaline brown margin, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5–2 mm.

elliptic to broadly ovate, 1.1–1.8 × 0.9–1.2 mm, 0.4–0.5 mm thick.

elliptic, 1.7–1.9 × 1.1–1.25 mm, 0.5–0.6 mm thick;

styles abaxially-adaxially bent.

scales reddish gold to brown or greenish, often white-hyaline at tip or base, with pale or green midstripe, narrowly to broadly ovate, 3.4–5 mm, length and width less or greater than perigynia, margin not white-hyaline, apex acute to acuminate.

scales white-hyaline or brown, with green or white midstripe extending to tip, broadly lanceolate, 2.8–3.5 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex firm, obtuse or acute.

= 62, 64, 66, 68.

= 36, 38.