Flora of North America species comparison

trigonous, 30–150 cm × 1–5(–8) mm.

trigonous, (1–) 20–40(–75) cm × 1–1.5(–2.5) mm, glabrous.

bladeless.

inversely W-shaped, 10–40(–70) cm × (1–)3–6(–10) mm.

heads digitate, 15–30(–36) mm diam.;

rays (14–)20–22, (2–)5–12(–20) cm; 2d order rays 0.3–3(–4) cm; 3d order rays sometimes present, 0.3–2.5 cm;

bracts (4–)18–22, ± horizontal, flat, 15–27 cm × (1.5–)8–12 mm.

spikes 1(–3), broadly and loosely ovoid to oblong-ellipsoid, (15–)20–30(–50) × 20–30(–45) mm;

bracts (3–)5–7(–10), ascending at 30(–45)°, inversely W-shaped, 10–30(–50) cm × (1–)3–5(–11) mm;

rays (2–)3–6(–12), (1–)3–10(–17) cm;

rachilla deciduous, wings ca. 0.3 mm wide.

8–20, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 5–25 × 1.5–2 mm;

floral scales 8–28, laterally whitish or light brown, ± hyaline, medially light brown, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, 2-keeled in proximal 30–60%, deltate-ovate, 1.6–2.4 × (1–)1.2–1.5(–1.7) mm, apex acute.

(10–)25–50(–100), ± terete, (appearing compressed due to excurved apices of floral scales), (8–)12–15(–24) × (0.8–)1.1–1.4(–1.8) mm;

floral scales persistent, (4–)6–8(–14), golden brown, off-white to stramineous, densely red-glandular punctate, green medially, 3–4-ribbed laterally, 3–5-ribbed medially, oblong-lanceolate, (3.2–)4–4.5 × 1.2–1.6 mm, apex blunt, mucronulate to mucronate, mucro 0.2–0.5 mm;

proximal scales mucronulate, distal scales mucronate;

terminal scale conduplicate.

stamens 3;

anthers 0.7–1 mm;

styles 0.5–1 mm;

stigmas 0.6–1 mm.

anthers 0.5–0.8(–1.4) mm;

styles 0.8–1 mm;

stigmas 1–2 mm.

brown, sessile or stipitate, broadly ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 × 0.4–0.6 mm, stipe if present to 0.1 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces puncticulate.

brown, ± sessile to stipitate, oblong-ellipsoid, 1.7–2 × 0.6–0.7 mm, 0.1(–0.2) × 0.2 mm, apex rounded, apiculate from dark purple style base, surfaces papillose.