Flora of North America species comparison

trigonous, (10–)20–50 cm × (0.6–)1–2 mm, glabrous or more often scabridulous, either in distal 1/2 or over entire length;

basal sheaths, 1–3, light brown, 1–4 cm, papery.

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

flat to V-shaped, (2–)20–35 cm × 2–6 mm, margins and keel minutely scabridulous;

proximal leaves bladeless.

1–4, 3–25 cm × 1–1.5 mm.

spikes ± umbellate to slenderly (infrequently broadly) ovoid, 10–25 × 7–16 mm;

rays 3–5, 1.5–8(–15) cm;

bracts 3–7, erect (or declined at most 25–30° from vertical), (2.5–)8–20(–25) cm × (0.5–)1.5–6 mm;

rachilla ± deciduous, wingless.

rays absent, often proliferous;

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

(1–)5–10(–20), oblong to linear-oblong, quadrangular, 7–10(–18) × (2.8–)3.2–4(–4.5) mm;

floral scales deciduous, (1–)5–10(–14), spreading, laterally stramineous or dull whitish, sometimes also red-spotted, medially green, laterally 2–3-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, (2.3–)2.8–3.2 × (2–)2.4–3.2 mm, apex broadly rounded, often clear-erose, cusp 0.1–0.4 mm in proximal scales, 0.3–1 mm in distal scales.

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.

anthers 0.8–1.4 mm;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm;

stigmas 1.5–3 mm.

stamens 3;

styles 0.8 mm;

stigmas 1–1.3 mm.

light to dark brown or nearly black, broadly ellipsoid, infrequently obovoid, 2–2.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, base cuneate to ± stipelike, apex obtuse to broadly rounded, surfaces papillose.

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

= 166.