Flora of North America species comparison

phyllopodic, with dead leaf remains at base, 5–35 cm.

erect to arching, slender, 15–90 cm.

blades 1–2.5 mm wide, margins sometimes involute, scabrid at tip.

sheaths relatively tight, pale to mid brown abaxially, inner band thin and hyaline, often concave at summit;

ligules as long as wide;

blades green to yellowish green, flat, 10–25(–40) cm × 0.5–2 mm, shorter than culms.

proximal bracts 0.5-2 cm, much shorter than inflorescences;

lateral spikes 6–15 × 3.5–5 mm, with 2–10 perigynia;

terminal spikes 6–20 × 1–2.5 mm.

erect to somewhat nodding, 1.5–7 cm × 3–6 mm;

proximal bracts bristlelike-prolonged, shorter than to exceeding spikes;

distal bracts usually scalelike.

5–10, gynecandrous, proximal ± separate, distal closely approximate, containing 5–10 perigynia, sessile, globose to short-oblong, 3–7 × 3–4 mm;

terminal spike staminate for less than 1/2 of length, scarcely clavate.

2.5–4.5 × 1.6–2 mm, apex rounded;

beak absent.

appressed-ascending to loosely spreading at maturity, green or brown, often dark brown in age, lightly several-veined, elliptic-ovate, 2–2.5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, widest near middle, membranous;

beak shor, margin serrulate.

pale to mid brown, ovate-orbiculate, 1.25–1.5 × 0.8–1 mm, glossy.

scales circular-ovate, 3–4.8 × 2.2–3.4 mm, long as and wider than perigynia, apex obtuse, sometimes mucronate.

scales white-hyaline with green, 3-veined center, often brown tinged, ovate, subequal to, not concealing perigynia, apex obtuse to acute.

scales oblanceolate to obovate, 3.2–4.8 × 1.5–2 mm, apex acute to obtuse.

2–2.5 mm.

= 52.

= 56.