Flora of North America species comparison

roundly trigonous, 10–50 cm × 0.9–2.4 mm.

trigonous, base thickened, tuberous, 15–40 cm × 2–2.6 mm, glabrous.

adaxial face concave, becoming flat to trigonous apically, 10–46 cm × 1.5–4 mm, margins involute.

flat to V-shaped, 10–30 cm × (3–)4–5.8 mm.

spikes ovoid, 1–5.5 cm wide;

rays usually 3–6, 0.5–5 cm, glabrous;

sometimes absent in small plants;

if absent, inflorescence a congested head of spikelets 1–3.5 cm diam.; 2d order rays 0–3, 1–3 cm;

bracts 3–5, vertical to ascending at 45°, 2.5–25 cm × 1.2–4 mm, margins involute; 2d order bracts 0–2, 5–20 mm;

rachilla persistent, wingless.

spike 1, densely oblong to ellipsoid, 10–20 × 10–20 mm;

rays 4–12, 10–20 cm bracts 3–6, horizontal to ascending at 30°, V-shaped, 3–15 cm × (3–)4(–5.8) mm;

rachilla deciduous, wings persistent, 0.5–0.7 mm wide.

5–24, greenish yellow to golden brown, oblong to linear-lanceoloid, quadrangular, strongly compressed, 7–20(–30) × 2.5–4(–6) mm;

floral scales 10–20(–40), spreading, pale green to stramineous, laterally 2–3-ribbed, ovate-lanceolate, 3.1–4 × 1.5–2.4 mm, apex with mucro 0.2–0.8 mm.

(5–)10–20(–30), linear to oblong, quadrangular, (2.2–)4–12(–16) × 0.7–1.2 mm, densly packed on rachis with 11–21 spikelets per 5 mm rachis;

distal spikelet spreading or ascending;

floral scales persistent, 1–5, appressed, laterally whitish to reddish brown, medially green, narrowly oblong to ovate, laterally 3–6-ribbed, 2.4–3.4 × 1.6–2 mm, apex rounded to ± acute, entire, mucronate, mucro 0.1–0.3 mm;

sterile terminal scale, involute, only 0.4–0.6 mm wide with mucro 0.2–0.5 mm.

anthers 0.6–0.8 mm;

styles 0.8–1.6 mm;

stigmas 1–1.4 mm.

anthers (0.3–)0.4–0.7 mm;

styles 0.4–0.5 mm;

stigmas 0.5–0.9 mm.

light to dark brown, rarely somewhat reddish, stipitate, ellipsoid, 2–2.4 × 0.5–0.8 mm, base cuneate, stipe whitish, spongy, 0.2–0.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex acute, persistent style forming beak 0.5–1.2 mm, surfaces glabrous or finely papillose.

light brown, sessile to slightly stipitate, ellipsoid to narrowly ellipsoid to narrowly obovoid, 1.4–1.9 × 0.5–0.75 mm, apex slightly apiculate, surfaces puncticulate.