Flora of North America species comparison

to 100 cm × 2 mm, scabrous.

30–100 cm;

vegetative culms with numerous leaves spaced evenly along distal 1/2.

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.

sheaths adaxially green-veined nearly to collar, with V-shaped hyaline band extending 4–20 mm proximal to collar;

somewhat loose, expanded near summit, ± wing-angled, adaxially firm, summits truncate to U-shaped, prolonged beyond collar;

distal ligules 4–10 mm;

blades 4–6 per fertile culm, 13–40 cm × 3–7.5 mm.

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.

dense or proximally open, brown, 2–4(–4.5) cm × 8–15 mm;

proximal internode 2–6 mm; 2d internode 2–4 mm;

proximal bracts scalelike with bristle tip to 1(–8) cm.

6–15, usually widely spaced, globose, 4–8 × 4–8 mm, base rounded to tapered, apex rounded.

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.

spreading to ascending, with beak and distal body of perigynium spreading or recurrent at 80º angle or greater, pale green to pale brown, conspicuously 3–6-veined abaxially, conspicuously 2–6-veined adaxially, ovate to elliptic, plano-convex, 2–3.5 times as long as wide, 2.7–4 × 1–1.7 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick, margin flat, including wing 0.1–0.2 mm wide, abruptly narrowed proximally, not extending to base;

beak tip usually not colored, flat, ciliate-serrulate, distance from beak tip to achene 1.5–1.8 mm.

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

oblong-ovate, 1.2–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, 0.3–0.4 mm thick.

pale brown, hyaline, awn to 3 mm.

scales white-hyaline or pale brown with green to brown midstripe not reaching tip, lanceolate, 1.6–2.3 mm, 1/2 length of and narrower than perigynia, hidden by perignyium beaks, apex acute or ultimate apex often rounded to retuse.

= 52.

= 70.