Flora of North America species comparison

solitary or close together, trigonous, 5–40(–95) cm, glabrous.

weak, often arching, basally culmlike, weakly 4(–5)-angled, 10–30 cm × 0.2–0.4 mm, glabrous.

(2–)3–7, broadly V-shaped, 3–20(–30) cm × 1.5–3 mm.

1–4, 3–25 cm × 1–1.5 mm.

spikes loosely to densely ovoid to hemispheric, 7–16 mm diam.;

rachis 1–2 mm, or absent;

rays 1–2, 3–45 mm;

if rays absent, inflorescence sessile, dense, 6–20 mm diam;

bracts 2–3, horizontal to reflexed downward, broadly V-shaped, 1–15 cm × 1–3 mm.

rays absent, often proliferous;

bracts 2–4, longest erect, looking like continuation of culm, V-shaped, 3–6 cm × 1–3 mm.

(3–)5–25(–60), linear to oblong-linear, (3–)5–9 × 1.8–2.3 mm;

floral scales 4–18, closely imbricate, chestnut brown, black, or brown, medially green or greenish brown, laterally ribless, medially 2(–3)-ribbed, distinctly 2-keeled basally, ovate to orbiculate, 1.5–2.1 × 1.4–2.2 mm, apex obtuse.

1–3(–6), narrowly ellipsoid, weakly compressed, 5–10 × 2 mm;

floral scales 8–16, laterally whitish or dull stramineous, medially green, weakly 3–4-ribbed, broadly ovate, 2.5 × 2 mm, apex acute to mucronate, mucro slightly excurved, 0.2–0.3 mm.

stamens 2;

anthers 0.6–0.8 mm, connectives not prolonged;

styles 0.4–0.6 mm;

stigmas 0.7–2.1 mm.

stamens 3;

styles 0.8 mm;

stigmas 1–1.3 mm.

brown, ellipsoid, 1.2–1.4 × 0.6–0.8 mm, network of ridges forming isodiametric or square cells, slightly stipitate, apex apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate.

brown, stipitate, obovoid, abaxial angle more prominent than adaxial ones, 0.7 × 0.7 mm, apex emarginate, surfaces glabrous.