Flora of North America species comparison

to 100 cm × 2 mm, scabrous.

densely tufted, erect, ascending, rarely decumbent, 28–61 cm × 0.7–1.2 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.

basal sheaths pale brown;

sheaths 0.8–32 mm;

blades erect or ascending, glaucous, midrib well developed especially abaxially, 2 lateral veins developed adaxially, flat, 28–59 cm × 5–10 mm, dead leaves lateral to new clumps, blades of overwintered leaves densely papillose abaxially.

0.2–1 cm × 2–4.5 mm, longest bract blade 5–8 cm;

bract blades of distal lateral spikes linear, narrower than spikes, widest bract blade of distalmost lateral spike 0.5–3.4 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.

longer peduncles of proximal lateral spikes 1.4–14 times as long as spikes they subtend;

peduncles of terminal spike 0.4–11 cm.

4(–5) per culm;

lateral spikes 14–45 × 2.2–4.5 mm, distal lateral spikes separate;

terminal spike linear, 12–40 × 2–3.5 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.

3–10 per spike, loosely overlapping, ratio of longer lateral spike length to pergynia number 1.9–3.4, ascending, finely, conspicuously (22–)25–32-veined, obovate, 3.1–4.5 × 1.8–2.3 mm;

beak slightly recurved, 0.9–1.5 mm.

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

obovoid, 1.2–2.8 × 0.9–1.4 mm.

pale brown, hyaline, awn to 3 mm.

scales 3–9 × 1.4–2.1 mm, apex aristate, rarely acute, awn 1–5 mm, serrulate.

scales 7–11 × 1.2–2 mm, margins hyaline.

3.2–3.8 mm.

= 52.

= 46.