Flora of North America species comparison

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

single or close together, trigonous to ± terete, (1–)8–30(–60) cm × (0.3–)0.6–1.5(–2.2) mm, glabrous.

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

blades present or reduced to sheaths, base of culm covered with reddish sheath 5–25 mm, distally short toothed 1–2 mm, or leaf blades involute, 1–7 cm × 0.3–1(–1.6) mm.

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.

heads appearing lateral, spikes ± digitate, 5–15 × 5–15 mm;

rays absent, sometimes 1, to 2 mm;

bracts (1–)2(–3), longer bracts erect, appearing as continuation of culm, shorter bract(s) horizontal or ascending, longer bracts (1–)2–8(–12) cm × 0.5–3 mm, shorter (0.3–)1–4.5 cm × 0.2–1 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.

(1–)2–7(–14), whitish green to reddish, compressed-turgid, ellipsoid to oblong-lanceoloid, 4–7(–12) × (1.6–)2–3(–3.6) mm;

floral scales (8–)12–22, off-white, whitish with red speckles, or with single red spot 0.5 mm wide, medially whitish, oblong-laterally ribless or weakly 2-ribbed, medially weakly 1–3-ribbed, obovate to orbiculate, 1.5–2 × (1.3–)1.6–2 mm.

anthers (0.3–)0.4–0.7 mm;

styles 0.4–0.5 mm;

stigmas 0.5–0.9 mm.

anthers (0.5–)0.7–1 mm, connective apex reddish, 0.1–0.2 mm;

styles 0.8–1.2 mm;

stigmas 0.7–1 mm.

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.

gray, glossy, oblong-ellipsoid to ovoid, (1.2–)1.3–1.5(–1.8) × (0.7–)0.8–1(–1.2) mm, base cuneate to stipelike, apex apiculate, surfaces finely reticulate to papillate.