Flora of North America species comparison

in medium- to large-sized clumps, 30–90 cm.

easily compressed, to 120 cm × 7 mm, scabrous.

cauline, usually overtopping culms;

blades 10–40(–50) cm × 4–9 mm.

sheaths usually all with blades, green;

fronts rugose, indistinctly linearly veined, apex colorless, fragile, convex, not forming extension, erose;

ligules acute, 10 mm, free limb to 0.8 mm;

blades not epistomic, to 100 cm × 15 mm.

with proximal spikes ± strongly separate on slender peduncles, others approximate and short-pedunculate or subsessile, narrowly oblong to cylindric, 1–4 cm × 3.5–5.6 mm;

lateral spikes, if gynecandrous, with ca. 30–140 pistillate flowers distally and (0–)1–10 staminate flowers proximally;

terminal spikes staminate proximally, 1/2–3/4 pistillate distally.

densely spicate, elongate, cylindric, with 15–25 distinguishable branches, 5–15 × 4 cm;

proximal internode to 10 mm.

olive green to brown, very broadly compressed-obovoid, sharply edged, 2–2.6 × 1.8–2.4 mm;

beak often projecting out at 90° angle.

pale brown with red-brown veins, 15-veined abaxially, 7-veined adaxially, to 6 × 2 mm, base distended proximally, cordate;

stipe to 0.4 mm;

beak to 3.5 mm, serrulate.

widely oblong-obovoid, 1.5–1.8 × 1–1.3 mm, apex short-apiculate.

ovate, to 2 × 1.5 mm;

stalk to 0.3 mm;

persistent style base cylindric.

scales ovate, 1.5–3.2 mm, mostly not quite as long as perigynia.

hyaline.