Flora of North America species comparison

present, caudexlike, mostly concealed by crowded culms, vertical or ascending, 2 mm thick;

internodes very short, scales disintegrating to fibers, 4 mm, papery.

2–12(–19) cm × 0.2–0.4 mm.

erect to ascending or arching, acutely quadrangular, deeply sulcate, 7–50 cm × 0.3–0.5 mm, smooth, firm.

distal leaf sheaths firm, distally tightly sheathing, apex acute.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, proximally brown or reddish, distally stramineous to green, thickly membranous, apex acute or subacute.

ovoid to ellipsoid, 2–6(–8) × 1–2.5 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale with or without flower, not amplexicaulous;

floral scales to 100, 15–19 per mm of rachilla, often loosely appressed, dark red-brown to stramineous, ovate to elliptic, 0.6–1.3 × 0.3–0.7 mm, membranous, apex rounded to acute.

basal spikelets absent; often proliferous, ovoid, terete, 3–10 × 2–3 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale empty, amplexicaulous, similar to floral scales;

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales spiraled, 8–15, 4 per mm of rachilla, orange-brown, midrib region broadly stramineous or like flanks, ovate, 2–3 × 1.2–2 mm, membranous, midrib evident to prominent, apex acute (to rounded).

perianth bristles (0–)4–6, typically 4, colorless to whitish, vestigial to 1/2 as long as achene, smooth or spinuliferous;

styles 2-fid.

perianth bristles 6 or fewer, stramineous, unequal, some or most equaling achene, spinules obscure, sparse, retrorse, sharply acute.

3;

anthers 1.2–1.5 mm.

3-fid.

black, obovoid, biconvex, 0.3–0.5 × 0.3–0.4 mm, apex often constricted proximal to tubercle, smooth at 40X.

stramineous, broadly obpyriform, equilaterally trigonous, angles evident, blunt, 0.9–1.1 × 0.7–0.9 mm, apex nearly truncate, smooth or obscurely papillose or rugulose at 20X.

stramineous to whitish, umbonate to subconic, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.2 mm, apex acute.

stramineous, pyramidal, trigonous, usually acute, proximally trilobed, the lobes decurrent on achene, 0.5–0.9 × 0.7–0.9 mm.

= 20.