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.

15–75 cm.

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

2–4 per culm;

sheaths with inner band hyaline, 3.5–12 cm, apex deeply concave, glabrous;

ligules 1.7–7 mm, apex acute or often emarginate;

blades plicate to flat, 9–50 cm × 0.8–3.9 mm, widest leaf 2.1–3.9 mm wide.

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.

1.8–7 cm;

spikes 4–8;

lateral spikes pistillate often with few staminate flowers proximally, 2.8–10.8 mm, sessile, staminate portion (0–)1–6-flowered, (0–)0.8–4.6 mm, pistillate portion 4–25-flowered, 2–7.6 mm;

basal 2 spikes 5–27 mm apart;

terminal spike gynecadrous, 4.7–16.5 mm, staminate portion 3–13-flowered, 1.8–12.7 × 0.9–2.1 mm, pistillate portion 6–23-flowered, 2.8–7.3 × 4.4–6 mm.

elongate, 0.9–4 cm;

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

spreading to reflexed, green, 6–14-veined abaxially, 0–6-veined adaxially over achene, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 1.8–2.9 × 1–1.9 mm, 1.2–2.1 times as long as wide;

beak 0.2–0.6 mm, 0.09–0.33 length of body, smooth.

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.

ovate to orbiculate, 1.2–1.6 × 0.85–1.4 mm.

scales ovate, 1.2–2.2 × 1–1.6 mm, apex acute.

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

scales ovate, 1.7–3.3 × 1–1.4 mm, apex acute.

1–1.9 mm.

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