Flora of North America species comparison

coarse, 1.8–3 mm thick, typically with long, unbranched segments from which shoots arise singly every few nodes.

sharply trigonous, (10–)25–80(–100) cm, scabrous-angled distally.

25–75 cm, distally scabrous.

basal sheaths dark brown to nearly black;

sheaths with hyaline inner band, apex not prolonged, glabrous;

ligules 0.6–2.6 mm;

blades 1–3(–3.5) mm wide.

2–3.5 mm wide.

elongate, 0.9–4 cm;

spikes 5–18(–25), usually unisexual; staminate spikes lanceoloid; pistillate spikes ovoid.

proximal bracts shorter than, equaling, or exceeding inflorescences;

spikes separate, erect, short-pendunculate, short-oblong or elongate, 10–25 × 6–10 mm;

lateral 2–3(–4) spikes pistillate;

terminal spike gynecandrous.

brown to nearly black at maturity, essentially veinless, usually stipitate, ovate, plano-convex, (2.2–)2.6–3.7 × 1.2–1.9 mm, dull;

beak 0.7–1.2 mm, 1/4–1/2 length of body, apex ± hyaline, obscurely bidentate.

ascending, gray green or whitish, faintly veined, elliptic, 2.5–4 × 1.5–2 mm, apex beakless or abruptly beaked, densely papillose;

beak to 0.2 mm.

nearly filling body of perigynia.

scales straw colored to pale reddish brown, with hyaline margins, ovate, apex acute to acuminate-awned, dull to ± satiny.

scales light to dark brown, lanceolate, shorter or much longer and narrower than perigynia, midvein lighter colored than body, conspicuous, often raised, prominent, apex acute or acuminate, mucronate, mucro 0.5–3 mm.

(1.8–)2.2–3.9 mm, apiculus bristly hairy (30X).

= ca. 106.