Flora of North America species comparison

25–80 cm;

vegetative culms few, inconspicuous, usually fewer than 15 leaves, not strikingly 3-ranked.

erect, ascending, or spreading, 9–48 cm × 0.6–1 mm.

sheaths conspicuously green-veined nearly to collar, narrow hyaline band or sharp Y-shaped region at collar, adaxially firm, summits U-shaped, sheaths sometimes finely papillose;

distal ligules 2.4–5.6 mm;

blades 2–5 per fertile culm, 10–25 cm × 2–5 mm.

basal sheaths white or very light brown;

nonbasal sheaths 7–32 mm, sheath blades 0.9–11.9 cm × 1–7 mm;

leaf blades erect, ascending, or spreading, green or glaucous, 8–36 cm × 3–12 mm;

blades of vegetative shoots 0–3.5 times wider than bract blades.

dense to open, green or brown, 1.5–4 cm × 10–20 mm;

proximal internode 2–12 mm; 2d internode 3–10 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike, with bristle tips shorter than inflorescences.

spikes (3–)4(–5) per culm, scattered;

peduncles of pistillate spikes exserted 0–9 cm; of staminate spikes exserted 0–9.5 cm;

bracts 2–11.8 cm × 1.3–4.8 mm.

3–6, distant, distinct, ellipsoid to ovoid-globose, 8–20 × 6–10 mm, base rounded or short-acute, apex broadly obtuse to rounded.

15–80 in larger spikes, spreading, light to dark brown, inconspicuously or shortly veined on each face, broadly elliptic or orbiculate to sharply obovate, flat except over achene, 4–6.1 × 3–4.4 mm, 0.45–0.6 mm thick, sometimes nearly leathery, base rounded, margin flat, including wing 0.7–1.5 mm wide, smooth;

beak spreading, light brown at tip, flat, 0.7–1.6(–1.8) mm, 1/3 length of body, ciliate-serrulate, abaxial suture with hyaline, pale brown margin, distance from beak tip to achene 2–3 mm.

4–9 per spike, finely veined, elliptic-ovoid, 2.5–4 × 1.5–2 mm;

beak slightly bent, tapering.

slender ascending through entire orifice.

oblong, 1.5–2 × 0.9–1.2 mm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick.

obvoid to broadly ovoid, 2.2–3.2 × 1.2–1.8 mm, slightly concave at maturity, tightly fitting in perigynia.

scales white-hyaline or brown with pale brown or green 1-veined midstripe, lanceolate, 3.3–4 mm, as long as and narrower than perignyia, apex acute or obtuse.

spikes: the proximal basal, scattered, drooping.;

pistillate scales keeled, 2.5–3.2 × 1–1.5 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline or, occasionally, reddish brown outward, apex cuspidate to acute, awn to 1 mm, proximal scale of lateral spike sterile or subtending a staminate flower.

= 33+III.

spike 1, linear, 8–22 × 1.2–3 mm.;

staminate scales obovate, 3.5–4.5 × 1–1.2 mm, midribs green, margins hyaline or reddish brown outward, apex acute.

2–3 mm.

= 68, 70.

= 44, 46.