Flora of North America species comparison

coarse, 1.5–2.8 mm thick, typically with long, unbranched segments from which shoots arise singly every few nodes.

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

sharply trigonous, (10–)20–80 cm, scabrous-angled distally.

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.

basal sheaths dark brown;

sheaths with hyaline inner band, apex prolonged 0.3–1.6 mm beyond base of blade, glabrous;

ligules 0.6–2.7 mm;

blades 1–3.7 mm wide.

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

proximal internode to 10 mm.

dense to elongate, 1–3 cm;

spikes 4–12(–18), usually unisexual;

staminate spikes lanceoloid;

pistillate spikes ovoid.

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.

dark reddish brown, essentially veinless, stipitate, broadly ovate to rhombic-orbicular, thickly plano-convex, 1.8–2.8 × 1.1–1.7 mm, shiny;

beak 0.25–0.5 mm, hyaline, oblique or obscurely bidentulate.

ovate, to 2 × 1.5 mm;

stalk to 0.3 mm;

persistent style base cylindric.

hyaline.

scales reddish brown to dark brown, with narrow hyaline margins, ovate, apex acute to acuminate-awned, shiny.

1.8–3.1 mm, apiculus smooth to warty (30X).