Flora of North America species comparison

(24–)35–85 cm.

often curved, bluntly trigonous, 5–15 cm, smooth-angled distally.

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.

basal sheaths brown;

ligules 0.4–1.6 mm;

blades folded to involute, ± equaling culms, 0.8–2.2(–2.5) mm wide.

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.

1–1.8 cm;

spikes ca. 8–15, essentially indistinguishable in dense globose to ovoid head.

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

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.

dark brown, finely 5–9-veined abaxially, faintly veined or essentially veinless adaxially, clearly inflated, broadly elliptic, 3.6–5 × 1.9–2.6 mm, delicate and membranous, shiny;

stipe to 0.2 mm or essentially absent;

beak poorly defined, 0.6–1.1 mm, smooth or slightly scabrous-margined.

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

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 reddish brown to dark brown, ± translucent with broad whitish hyaline margins, broadly ovate, ± equaling perigynia, apex obtuse to acute, body shiny.

1–1.5 mm.

= 62, 64, 66, 68.