Flora of North America species comparison

often arching, sometimes spotted or streaked red-brown, quadrangular or broadly elliptic, sulcate or not, 0.5–25(–30) cm × 0.1–0.4 mm, soft.

often ascending or arching, quadrangular or broadly elliptic, 2–40 cm × 0.1–0.4(–0.6) mm, soft.

distal leaf sheaths persistent or disintegrating, stramineous, green, red-brown, or spotted or streaked red-brown, membranous, translucent, apex obtuse or acute.

distal leaf sheaths persistent or disintegrating, pale brown, green or red-brown, streaked or mottled red-brown or purple, translucent, membranous, apex narrowly acute.

basal spikelets usually present, pistillate; often proliferous, ovoid, ellipsoid, or linear, clearly laterally compressed, 2.3–6.9 × 0.5–2 mm, apex acute, proximal scale empty, amplexicaulous, similar to floral scales (midribs sometimes more prominent and sometimes slightly prolonged beyond lamina);

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales clearly distichous, 3–9, 3–4 per mm of rachilla, yellowish, pale brown, or red-brown, spotted, streaked, or mottled red-brown, narrowly ovate to oblong, (1.5–)2–5 × 0.4–0.6(–1.2) mm, membranous, apex rounded, obtuse or rarely acute, midribs keeled.

basal spikelets absent; often proliferous, ovoid to ellipsoid or lanceoloid, terete, 2–10.7 × 1–2 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale empty, persistent, amplexicaulous, dissimilar to floral scales, often longer, often resembling an involucral bract, ovate to lanceolate, midrib markedly thickened and broad and often prolonged beyond lamina;

subproximal scale with flower;

floral scales spiraled, colorless, whitish, or pale brown, streaked or mottled red-brown or purple, midribs green and red-brown or green and purple, ovate to elliptic, 0.8–1.5 × 0.4–0.8 mm, membranous, midrib obscure to prominent.

perianth bristles 3–7, incurved, colorless, white, or red-brown, shorter than or equaling achene;

spinules sparse, retrorse, sharply acute;

stamens 3;

anthers 1.4–2.2 mm;

styles 3-fid.

perianth bristles present or sometimes apparently absent;

stamens 3;

anthers 0.15–0.35;

styles 3-fid.

whitish or greenish, spotted dark green, obovoid, trigonous, angles prominent, 0.6–0.9 × 0.4–0.6 mm, apex constricted proximal to tubercle, smooth to finely cancellate at 10–20X.

whitish to olive or pale brown, sometimes spotted olive or red-brown, obovoid, trigonous (or subterete), angles prominent, 0.55–0.8 × 0.3–0.5 mm, apex constricted proximal to tubercle, smooth.

pale to red-brown, pyramidal, trigonous, 0.2–0.3(–0.4) × 0.2–0.5 mm.

green or pale brown to red-brown, trigonous.