Flora of North America species comparison

to 100 cm × 2 mm, scabrous.

to 100 cm.

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.

blades 5–20 mm wide.

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.

with 4–6 spikes;

peduncles of proximal spikes exserted more than 1 cm;

proximal bracts with blade (13–) 17–35(–55) mm, sheaths conspicuously expanded to mouth, 21–35(–42) mm, mouth with wide purple band, usually shallowly U-shaped, greater than 2 mm wide.

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.

ascending, dark purple, veins indistinct, elliptic or ovate to broadly ovate, 4–5.3 × 1.7–2.5 mm, with flat margins more than 1/2 mature achene width, glabrous;

beak 1–2 mm, apex dark purple to blackish, glabrous, distance from beak tip to achene apex greater than 2 mm.

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

obovoid, 1.5–2.2 × 0.85–1.2 mm.

pale brown, hyaline, awn to 3 mm.

spikes pistillate, purple to dark brown, pendent, (17–)19–30 × 6-9 mm.

spike staminate, ± erect or, occasionally, pendent, 9–19 × 4.5–9 mm.

scales glossy dark purple with narrow hyaline margins,often gold adaxially, usually ovate, apex obtuse to long-tapered (rarely ciliate-awned), glabrous.

scales dark reddish purple with pale midvein and narrow, scarious margins, ovate to elliptic, 3.2–4.1 × 1–2 mm, apex usually obtuse, occasionally short-awned.

(1.8–)2.4–4 mm.

= 52.