Flora of North America species comparison

to 100 cm × 2 mm, scabrous.

dark maroon at base; flowering stems 25–50 cm, as long or slightly longer than leaves at maturity, 0.4–0.6 mm thick, glabrous, sometimes scabrous on angles within inflorescence.

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.

basal sheaths maroon, bladeless, pubescent, often only sparsely so;

others grading from maroon to green on back, brown-hyaline on front, red dotted and pubescent toward apex;

blades flat, 1–2 mm wide, sparsely pilose on adaxial surface, margins ciliate.

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.

peduncles of lateral spike 0–35 mm;

peduncle of terminal spike 5–35 mm, minutely scabrous;

proximal bracts equaling or often exceeding inflorescences;

sheathless and auriculate or with sheaths less than 3 mm;

blades to 1 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.

green, usually red dotted, 2-ribbed and conspicuously 6–10-veined, narrowly lance-ellipsoid, loosely enveloping achene, 4–4.8 × 1.2–1.5 mm, membranous, base with stipe 1 mm, apex gradually tapering to beak, pubescent toward apex;

beak truncate or minutely toothed, 1 mm.

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

substipitate, 2–2.5 × 0.8–1 mm.

pale brown, hyaline, awn to 3 mm.

spikes 1–3, 1 per node, each overlapping 1 above but not crowded, proximal 1 often well separated, erect to ascending, sessile or pedunculate, pistillate with 10–25 perigynia attached less than 1 mm apart, narrowly elongate, 10–35 × 2–3 mm.

spike staminate, 10–24 × 1.5–2.5 mm.

scales reddish brown with narrow hyaline margins and green midrib, ovate, shorter than mature perigynia, apex rounded to acute or cuspidate, glabrous.

= 52.