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.

roundly trigonous, 20–50(–80) cm × 1–3 mm, glabrous.

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

3–11, V-shaped, 12–40 cm.

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.

heads loosely to rather densely hemispheric, 15–30 mm diam.;

rays 5–10, 2–12 cm; 2d order rays occasionally produced, 5–25 mm;

bracts 4–8, approximately horizontal to ascending at 30°, V-shaped, 10–36 cm × 1.5–4 mm, margins glabrous.

(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.

(4–)10–30, greenish, grayish, or stramineous, oblong to linear-oblong, compressed, (5–)7–10(–35) × 2–3 mm;

floral scales 10–25(–85), laterally yellowish brown, medially yellowish or brownish, laterally ribless, medially 2-ribbed with groove between ribs, broadly ovate (widest in proximal 1/2), (1.2–)1.5–2 × 1.2–2 mm, apex obtuse (declined (45–)60–90º from rachilla).

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.

stamen 1;

anthers oblong, 0.8–1.2 mm, connective not prolonged;

styles basally thickened, confluent with summit of achene, 0.6–1.2 mm;

stigmas 0.3–0.6 mm.

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

reddish brown to dark purplish brown, dull or more often iridescent, stipitate, broadly ellipsoid, 1–1.5 mm × 0.4–0.6(–0.7) mm, base cuneate to ± attenuate, stipe 0.1–0.2 mm, apex acute, beak 0.1–0.5 mm, surfaces reticulate with network of low ridges.