Flora of North America species comparison

(24–)35–85 cm.

15–65 cm, smooth to scabrous 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.

proximal sheaths with blades, brownish or purple–tinged, slender, 1.3–3.2 mm diam.;

ligules (0.6–)1–6 mm, (0.8–)1–2 times longer than wide;

leaf blades green, flat, 3–20 cm × 1.5–5 mm, herbaceous.

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.

4–32 cm, 0.9–1.6 times as long as proximal bract;

proximal bracts 4–22 cm, sheaths 0.5–5 cm, blades 3.5–17 cm; pistillate spikes ovoid to linear-cylindric, 6–40 × 3–5.8 mm;

lateral spikes erect or ascending on stiff peduncles.

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.

ascending to spreading, green, 2.5–4 × 1–2.2 mm, minutely papillose;

beak minute, bent.

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

light to dark brown, 1.8–3 × 1.2–1.6(–1.8) mm.

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 brown or purple tinged, apex awned or obtuse.

= 62, 64, 66, 68.