Flora of North America species comparison

trigonous, (2–)25–60(–100) cm × 1–4 mm, soft (flattened in drying), glabrous.

roundly trigonous, basally with dark fibrous remnants of old leaf sheaths, (0.5–)4–30 cm × 0.4 –1.1 mm, glabrous.

usually reduced to sheaths, occasionally with blades, flat to V-shaped, (3–)10–30 cm × (1–)2.5–5 mm.

1–5, flat, involute toward apex, 3–18 cm × 1–2.5(–3) mm.

heads loosely digitate;

rays (5–)10–12(–15), 1–15(–20) cm; 2d order rays usually present, (1–)6–12(–25) mm; 3d order rays sometimes present, 1–6 mm;

bracts 2(–3), horizontal to ascending at 30–60°, longer (3–)6–18 cm × 2–4 mm, shorter (0.5–)2.5–6.5 cm × 1–2(–3) mm.

heads hemispheric to spheric, (3–)6–15(–24) mm diam.;

rays absent;

bracts 2–5, horizontal to reflexed, parallel to culm, 1–13 cm × 1–3 mm, margins and keel sparsely minutely scabridulous distally.

1–15, linear-lanceoloid, ± compressed-quadrangular, 3–18 × 1–1.6 mm;

floral scales 10–20(–40), laterally reddish to greenish brown, dull, often clear-edged, medially greenish, laterally 1-ribbed, medially 1-ribbed, oblong to obovate, 1–1.5(–1.9) × 0.8–1 mm, apex mucronate, glabrous except for cluster of crystalline prickles at apex.

(5–)20–60(–100), whitish to greenish or brownish, ovoid to oblong-lanceoloid, compressed, 3–7 × 2–4 mm;

floral scales (8–)10–12(–24), laterally milky white (infrequently yellowish, pale greenish, brown, or bronze-white), medially green or white, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.6–3(–3.4) × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex mucronate to acuminate.

stamens 3;

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

styles 0.4–0.9 mm;

stigmas 0.5–0.8(–1.3) mm.

stamens 3;

anthers linear, (0.4–)0.6–0.8(–1.1) mm, connective not prolonged;

styles 0.8–1.8 mm;

stigmas (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) mm.

white or reddish brown, stipitate, globose to obovoid or ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6(–0.7) × 0.3–0.4(–0.5) mm, base nearly cuneate, stipe 0.1 × 0.1–0.2 mm, apex obtuse to acute, apiculate or entire, surfaces granular to papillose.

brown to blackish, trigonous, broadly obovoid, 0.5–1 × 0.3–0.75 mm, base slightly stipelike, ± cuneate to rounded, apex apiculate, papillose.