Flora of North America species comparison

trigonous, 5–25 cm × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous.

trigonous to terete, 20–100 cm × 2–6 mm, soft (flattened in drying), glabrous, often flopping over and rooting at base of rays.

blades reduced to sheath.

spikes loosely ovoid, 15–25 mm wide;

rays 1–6, 2–7 cm;

bracts 2–5, 3–20 cm, ascending;

rachilla deciduous, winged.

rays 100–250, 5–16 cm; 2d order rays 0.5–5 cm;

bracts 2–3, horizontal or reflexed, 4–12 cm × 1.5–4 mm.

5–30, linear, flattened, 6–22 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

floral scales ± deciduous, (4–)8–12, red, reddish purple, or reddish brown, medially green, elliptic, laterally 2–4-ribbed, 2.3–3.1 × 1.2–2 mm, apex acute to obtuse.

1–30, linear-lanceoloid, ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid, compressed-quadrangular, 6–17 × 1–1.5 mm;

floral scales 5–12, reddish brown, 1–3-ribbed, 1.2–1.7 × 0.7–0.9 mm, apex mucronulate.

anthers 0.3–0.4 mm;

styles 1 mm;

stigmas 1.3–1.6 mm.

stamens 3;

anthers 1–1.2 mm;

styles 0.3 mm;

stigmas 1–1.3 mm.

brown to dark purplish brown, broadly ellipsoid, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.9 mm, surfaces puncticulate.

brown, obovoid, 0.4 × 0.2 mm, base stipelike to nearly cuneate, apex obtuse, surfaces finely reticulate.