Flora of North America species comparison

50–90 cm;

vegetative culms with numerous leaves spaced evenly along distal 1/2.

yellow-brown at base, 10–50 cm.

sheaths adaxially green-veined nearly to collar with V-shaped hyaline band extending 4–20 mm proximal to collar, somewhat loose, expanded near summit, ± wing-angled, adaxially firm, summits thin, U-shaped to rounded, sometimes shortly prolonged beyond collar;

distal ligules 4–9 mm;

blades 3–6 per fertile culm, 18–40 cm × 3–7 mm.

sheaths glabrous;

blades glaucous, widest blades 6.1–12.3 mm wide, smooth abaxially.

nodding, open at least proximally, pale brown, 2.5–6 cm × 7–14 mm;

proximal internode 5–12(–18) mm; 2d internode 3–11 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, sometimes bristlelike to 3 cm.

0.71–0.93 of culm height, rarely all spikes separate, peduncles of lateral spikes smooth, 0.4–11 cm;

peduncles of terminal spikes 1.5–37(–62) mm, usually overlapping or shorter than distal lateral spike;

proximal bract sheath loose, abaxially glabrous, sheath front slightly convex, elongated 0.2–2.2 mm beyond apex;

ligules (3–)5.2–10.2 mm;

distal bract slightly shorter than to much exceeding terminal spike.

8–15, proximal spikes well spearated, nearly globose, 9–12 × 6–8(–9) mm, base tapered, apex rounded.

(3–)4–6, usually distal 2–3 overlapping;

lateral spikes pistillate, longest ones with 11–25(–28) perigynia, 8–32 × 3.3–6.1(–6.8) mm, ratio of spike length (in mm) to flower number = (0.97–)1–1.3(–1.6);

terminal spikes 6–32 × 1.8–3.3 mm.

usually 15–30 per spike, ascending to reflexed, with divergent beak, pale brown; conspicuously (3–)5–8-veined abaxially, conspicuously 3–6-veined adaxially, lanceolate, flat to plano-convex, thin, 2.9–4.3 × 1.2–1.6 mm, 0.3 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.2 mm wide;

beak sometimes red-brown at tip, flat, ciliate-serrulate, distance from beak tip to achene 1.6–2.4 mm.

spirally imbricate, 42–56-veined, unwrinkled, narrowly ovoid, (3.7–)3.9–4.5(–4.7) × 1.5–2.2 mm, (1.9–)2.1–2.6(–2.8) times as long as wide, obtusely triangular in cross section, dull, base gradually tapered, apex gradually tapered;

beak absent or straight, 0–0.2(–0.4) mm.

ovate to oblong, 1.1–1.7 × 0.6–1 mm, 0.3 mm thick.

obovoid, 2.6–3.1 × (1.3–)1.4–1.6 mm, 0.5–0.63 times as long as perigynia, loosely enveloped by perigynia;

stipe straight, 0.1–0.3(–0.5) mm;

beak bent (0–)30–90°, (0.1–)0.2–0.4(–0.5) mm.

scales white to brown with brown or green midstripe not reaching tip, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 2–2.7 × 0.9–1.5 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, apex obtuse to nearly acute.

scales 1.9–3.2(–4.5) × 1.3–2.2 mm, margins pale ferrugineous to whitish, entire, apex with awn 0.1–0.9(–1.9) mm.

scales (3.9–)4.5–5.3 × 1.6–2 mm.

1.6–2.6 mm.

= 64.