Flora of North America species comparison

acutely angled, 50–100 cm, scabrous.

to 80 cm × 3–8 mm, scabrous.

basal sheaths red-brown;

sheaths of proximal leaves scabrous, fronts with red-brown spots, prominently ladder-fibrillose, apex U-shaped;

blades 4–8 mm wide.

sheath fronts not spotted, slightly thickened near hyaline margins, apex convex, membranous, rugose;

ligule retuse or rounded, to 3 mm, free limb to 0.2 mm;

blades 60 cm × 5 mm, shorter than flowering stem.

proximal bract shorter than inflorescence, 3–5 mm wide.

spicate, 3–7 cm × 15–25 mm, with 10–15 branches, proximal branches not distinctly separate; the proximal internode to 10 mm;

bracts setaceous, usually only the proximal conspicuous.

erect; staminate 2–3; pistillate 2–4;

proximal pistillate spike 3–7 cm × 3–5 mm, base cuneate.

ascending, pale brown with red-brown spots on apical 1/2, 3–7-veined on each face, somewhat flattened, loosely enclosing achenes, thick-walled, ellipsoid or ovoid, 3–3.5 × 2–2.2 mm, somewhat leathery, dull, often scabrous on apical margins, apex obtuse, papillose;

beak pale brown or red-brown, 0.2–0.3 mm.

pale brown, body broadly ovate, 3.2–4 × 2–2.6 mm, base rounded or cordate, apex abruptly contracted to beak;

beak 1.3–1.5 mm, 1/3 length of perigynium.

not constricted, dull.

brown, ovate, 1.5–1.9 × 1.2–1.6 mm, dull.

scales dark red-brown to black, shorter than perigynia, apex obtuse, awnless.

hyaline, pale brown, becoming colorless with green midrib, awn usually not longer than the body.