Flora of North America species comparison

roundly trigonous, basally with dark fibrous remnants of old leaf sheaths, (0.5–)4–30 cm × 0.4 –1.1 mm, glabrous.

trigonous, 20–100 cm × 0.8–2.5 mm, glabrous.

1–5, flat, involute toward apex, 3–18 cm × 1–2.5(–3) mm.

5–10, V-shaped to flanged V-shaped, 10–70(–90) cm × 2–7 mm, margins and midribs scabridulous or glabrous.

heads hemispheric to spheric, (3–)6–15(–24) mm diam.;

rays absent;

bracts 2–5, horizontal to reflexed, parallel to culm, 1–13 cm × 1–3 mm, margins and keel sparsely minutely scabridulous distally.

spikes 1(–6), densely cylindric, 6–30 × 5–11 mm;

rays 3–12, 0.4–5(–7) cm;

rays and rachis glabrous; usually only 1–2 spikes of inflorescence on elongate rays, other spikes sessile or nearly so;

bracts 4–7, horizontal to slightly ascending, 1–16 cm × 0.5–4 mm;

rachilla deciduous, wings persistent, 0.5 mm wide.

(5–)20–60(–100), whitish to greenish or brownish, ovoid to oblong-lanceoloid, compressed, 3–7 × 2–4 mm;

floral scales (8–)10–12(–24), laterally milky white (infrequently yellowish, pale greenish, brown, or bronze-white), medially green or white, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.6–3(–3.4) × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex mucronate to acuminate.

20–80, ellipsoid, roughly quadrangular, 3–5 × 1–1.4 mm;

floral scales 1–2(–4), appressed, stramineous to golden brown, often red-speckled, medially greenish, 9-ribbed, elliptic to ovate, 2.4–3.4 × 1.8–2.6 mm, apex obtuse.

stamens 3;

anthers linear, (0.4–)0.6–0.8(–1.1) mm, connective not prolonged;

styles 0.8–1.8 mm;

stigmas (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) mm.

anthers 0.4–0.6 mm;

styles 0.7–1.1 mm;

stigmas 1.4–2.1 mm.

brown to blackish, trigonous, broadly obovoid, 0.5–1 × 0.3–0.75 mm, base slightly stipelike, ± cuneate to rounded, apex apiculate, papillose.

dark brown to reddish brown, sessile, broadly ellipsoid, 1.8–2.1 × 0.8–1 mm, apex apiculate, surfaces glabrous to finely puncticulate.