Flora of North America species comparison

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

trigonous, (10–)20–50 cm × (0.6–)1–2 mm, glabrous or more often scabridulous, either in distal 1/2 or over entire length;

basal sheaths, 1–3, light brown, 1–4 cm, papery.

2–7, flat, (2–)7–22 cm × 2.2–4 mm.

flat to V-shaped, (2–)20–35 cm × 2–6 mm, margins and keel minutely scabridulous;

proximal leaves bladeless.

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 ± umbellate to slenderly (infrequently broadly) ovoid, 10–25 × 7–16 mm;

rays 3–5, 1.5–8(–15) cm;

bracts 3–7, erect (or declined at most 25–30° from vertical), (2.5–)8–20(–25) cm × (0.5–)1.5–6 mm;

rachilla ± deciduous, wingless.

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.

(1–)5–10(–20), oblong to linear-oblong, quadrangular, 7–10(–18) × (2.8–)3.2–4(–4.5) mm;

floral scales deciduous, (1–)5–10(–14), spreading, laterally stramineous or dull whitish, sometimes also red-spotted, medially green, laterally 2–3-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, (2.3–)2.8–3.2 × (2–)2.4–3.2 mm, apex broadly rounded, often clear-erose, cusp 0.1–0.4 mm in proximal scales, 0.3–1 mm in distal scales.

stamens 1 or 2;

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

styles 0.1 mm;

stigmas 0.1–0.3 mm.

anthers 0.8–1.4 mm;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm;

stigmas 1.5–3 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.

light to dark brown or nearly black, broadly ellipsoid, infrequently obovoid, 2–2.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, base cuneate to ± stipelike, apex obtuse to broadly rounded, surfaces papillose.

= 166.