Flora of North America species comparison

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

25–80 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, usually fewer than 15 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

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

sheaths conspicuously green-veined nearly to collar, narrow hyaline band or sharp Y-shaped region at collar, adaxially firm, summits U-shaped, sheaths sometimes finely papillose;

distal ligules 2.4–5.6 mm;

blades 2–5 per fertile culm, 10–25 cm × 2–5 mm.

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.

dense to open, green or brown, 1.5–4 cm × 10–20 mm;

proximal internode 2–12 mm; 2d internode 3–10 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

3–6, distant, distinct, ellipsoid to ovoid-globose, 8–20 × 6–10 mm, base rounded or short-acute, apex broadly obtuse to rounded.

2.5–4.5 × 1.6–2 mm, apex rounded;

beak absent.

15–80 in larger spikes, spreading, light to dark brown, inconspicuously or shortly veined on each face, broadly elliptic or orbiculate to sharply obovate, flat except over achene, 4–6.1 × 3–4.4 mm, 0.45–0.6 mm thick, sometimes nearly leathery, base rounded, margin flat, including wing 0.7–1.5 mm wide, smooth;

beak spreading, light brown at tip, flat, 0.7–1.6(–1.8) mm, 1/3 length of body, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with hyaline, pale brown margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2–3 mm.

oblong, 1.5–2 × 0.9–1.2 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick.

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

scales white-hyaline or brown with pale brown or green 1-veined midstripe, lanceolate, 3.3–4 mm, as long as and narrower than perignyia, apex acute or obtuse.

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

2–2.5 mm.

= 33+III.

= 52.

= 68, 70.