Flora of North America species comparison

20–50 cm.

to 100 cm × 2 mm, scabrous.

sheaths adaxially white-hyaline, often cross-corrugated, summits U-shaped or rounded, sometimes prolonged to 2.5 mm beyond collar;

distal ligules 1–2.5(–3.5) mm;

blades 2–4(–7) per fertile culm, 8–25 cm × (2.5–)3–4 mm.

sheath fronts spotted red-brown or pale brown, apex truncate or short-convex, membranous or hyaline, rugose;

ligule retuse or rounded, to 2 mm, free limb to 0.2 mm;

blades 120 cm × 5 mm, longer than flowering stem.

dense, gold or brown, 1.3–3 cm × 12–20 mm;

proximal internode 0.5–3.9(–5) mm; 2d internode 1–3(–4) mm;

proximal bracts scalelike or bristlelike, shorter than inflorescences.

spicate, (3–)7–10 cm × 15 mm, with 10–15 branches, the proximal branches distinctly separate; the proximal internode to 25 mm;

bracts setaceous, those subtending at least the proximal lateral branches conspicuous.

3–8, usually distinct, broadly ovoid, 9–12 × 6–9 mm, base rounded to attenuate, apex rounded.

ascending to spreading, green, straw colored, or occasionally white, 10–20-veined abaxially, conspicuously 0–12-veined adaxially, thin, broadly ovate, flat except over achene, 4–5.8 × 1.8–3.4 mm, 0.3–0.5(–0.6) mm thick, 1.7–2.3 times as long as wide, margin flat, including wing 0.4–1 mm wide, edge minutely crinkled and ciliate-serrulate at least distally;

beak spreading, gold, red-brown to dark brown, sometimes white-hyaline at tip, flat, ± ciliate-serrulate, sometimes cylindric, unwinged, ± entire for 0.5–0.7 mm, abaxial suture usually inconspicuous, distance from beak tip to achene 2.2–3 mm.

green to pale brown, veinless on both faces or 3-veined abaxially, body ovate or elliptic, 2–3.2 × 1.3–1.8 mm, base obtuse;

beak 0.8–1.2 mm, 1/3–1/2 length of perigynium.

elliptic to broadly obovate, (1.4–)1.7–2.4 × 1–1.6 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick.

red-brown, ovate, 1.2–1.4 × 1 mm, glossy.

scales white, gold, red-brown, or coppery, with pale to green midstripe, lanceolate to ovate, 3.2–4.8 mm, shorter and narrower than perigynia, margin white, 0–0.15(–0.3) mm wide, apex acute to acuminate.

pale brown, hyaline, awn to 3 mm.

= 52.