Flora of North America species comparison

5–60 cm.

9–30(–40) cm.

basal and cauline;

proximal leaves reduced to sheaths;

distal leaves with blades 3–6 mm wide.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, sometimes cross-corrugate adaxially, summits usually U-shaped, sometimes prolonged to 3 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 0.3–2 mm;

blades 3–4(–5) per fertile culm, 3–16 cm × 1.5–4 mm.

spikes separate, elongate, 6–20 × 5–8 mm;

lateral spikes 1–3, pendent, long-pedunculate.

dense, dark brown, green and brown, or gold, 1.1–2.1 cm × 13–18 mm;

proximal internode 1–2.5(–3.4) mm; 2d internode 0.5–2 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, shorter than inflorescences.

5–7(–9), aggregated, individually indistinct broadly ovoid, 6.5–10 × 4.5–8 mm, base and apex usually rounded.

brown or purple-brown, veinless, ovate, 3–3.5 × 1.75–2 mm, papillose;

beak 0.3–0.4 mm, shallowly bidentate or truncate, sparsely papillose or smooth.

ascending to ascending-spreading, light brown to coppery or dark brown, conspicuously 0–3(–8)-veined adaxially, lance-ovate to broadly ovate, flat except over achene, 4–6.5 × 1.5–2.6 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.3–0.6(–0.8) mm wide, ciliate-serrulate at least on distal body;

beak dark brown to black, white-hyaline at tip, cylindric, unwinged, at least 1 mm, ± entire for 0.3–0.6 mm, abaxial suture inconspicuous or with conspicuous white margin, distance from beak tip to achene (2.3–)2.6–3.8 mm.

elliptic or ovate, (1.2–)1.4–1.8 × 0.8–1.1(–1.3) mm, 0.3–0.45 mm thick.

scales dark brown or black, margins occasionally narrowly hyaline, midvein seldom prominent, same color as the body, inconspicuous, broadly lanceolate, shorter than or equaling and as wide as perigynia, apex acute.

scales reddish or coppery to dark brown, sometimes with whitish or pale gold midstripe, narrowly ovate to ovate, 3–4.8 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex acute to obtuse.

= 82.