Flora of North America species comparison

(24–)35–85 cm.

4–16 cm, scabrous distally;

bases (remnants of old leaves) fibrous.

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.

blades pale to bright green, equaling or exceeding stems, 0.5–4.3 mm wide, herbaceous or coriaceous, glabrous abaxially, strongly scabrous to papillose adaxially.

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.

with both staminate and pistillate scales;

peduncles of basal pistillate spikes erect, short to elongate, stout to slender;

peduncles of staminate spikes 0.8–15 mm;

proximal nonbasal bracts scalelike, shorter than inflorescences.

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

proximal pistillate spikes 2–3 (basal spikes 1–2);

cauline spikes usually overlapping with staminate spikes, with 3–10(–15) perigynia; staminate spikes 4.5–11.3 × 1.1–3 mm.

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.

green to pale brown, veinless, ellipsoid, obtusely trigonous in cross section, 3.1–4.7 × 1.1–1.6 mm;

beak straight, pale green, occasionally with reddish brown tinge near apex, strongly 2-edged, 0.9–2 mm, smooth or ciliate-serrulate, apical teeth 0.2–0.5 mm.

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

brown, ellipsoid to obovoid, obtusely trigonous in cross section, 1.6–2 × 1.2–1.6 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.

pistillate scales pale brown to reddish brown, with narrow white margins, ovate, 2.9–4.1 × 1.5–1.9 mm, equaling or exceeding perigynia, apex acute to long-acuminate; staminate scales ovate, 4.2–5.4 × 1.2–2.1 mm, apex obtuse or acute to acuminate.

1.6–2.9 mm.

3.

= 62, 64, 66, 68.