Flora of North America species comparison

1–15, trigonous, 7–30 cm × 1.2–2.5 mm, soft (flattened in pressing), glabrous.

basally cormlike, trigonous, (10–)20–80 cm × 1–3 mm, glabrous.

2–7, flat, (2–)7–22 cm × 2.2–4 mm.

inversely W-shaped, 20–70 cm × 5–11 mm, adaxial surface, margins minutely scabridulous.

heads dense, 7–17 mm diam.; when rays short, heads sessile or nearly so, then densely irregularly lobate, 12–35 mm diam.;

rays 1–5, 2–32 mm;

bracts 2–4, longest bract erect or nearly so, appearing as continuation of culm, other bracts horizontal to ascending, 1–22 cm × 0.5–3.5 mm, margins and keel minutely scabridulous.

spikes densely ellipsoid to obovoid, 2.5–4.3 × 1.5–3 cm;

rays 5–10, 4–20 cm, glabrous;

rachis 7–14 mm;

bracts 3–8, horizontal to ascending at 45°, flat, 5–35 cm × 2.5–6 mm;

rachilla persistent, wings 0.5 mm wide.

30–120, greenish brown to purplish brown, oblong-ellipsoid, compressed, (2–)3–5(–6) × 0.8–1.2 mm;

floral scales (6–)12–20(–30), laterally clear margins, stramineous to deep purple, medially greenish, stramineous, or purplish, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, obovate to orbiculate, 0.6–0.8 × 0.6–0.8 mm, apex mucronulate.

50–90, linear-lanceoloid to linear-subulate, ± terete-quadrangular, (11–)12–13(–15) × 1.1–1.6 mm;

distal spikelet spreading or ascending;

floral scales persistent, 3–6(–8), appressed, whitish green or often yellow-tinted, sometimes reddish striate, laterally 4-ribbed, ovate-lanceolate, (3.9–)4.2–4.6(–4.8) × 1.6–2 mm.

stamens 1 or 2;

anthers ovoid-ellipsoid, 0.1 mm, connective not prolonged;

styles 0.1 mm;

stigmas 0.1–0.3 mm.

anthers 0.7–1 mm;

styles 1–1.5 mm;

stigmas 2–3 mm.

light brown, obovoid-ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 × 0.3–0.4 mm (as long as subtending scale), base cuneate, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces finely reticulate, papillose.

yellowish brown to brown, ± stipitate, conspicuously falcate, 3–4 times long as wide, oblong, 2.2–2.6 × 0.6–0.7 mm, apex obtuse, surfaces puncticulate.