Flora of North America species comparison

often ascending or spreading, 4-angled or sometimes terete, sometimes sulcate, 1–7 cm × 0.2–0.3 mm, soft to firm.

terete, often with a few blunt ridges when dry, 20–50 cm × 0.2–0.7 mm, soft, spongy.

sheaths stramineous, distal sheaths often splitting abaxially, slightly inflated distally, oblique, apex acute.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, not splitting, proximally red or stramineous, distally green, membranous, apex usually reddish, subtruncate to obtuse, not callose, tooth present, to 0.4 mm.

ovoid, 1.5–4 × 0.8–2 mm, apex acute;

floral scales 4–15, 8 per mm of rachilla, colorless or reddish brown, midrib region green, ovate-lanceolate, not folded lengthwise, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, mibrib obscure to somewhat keeled, apex narrowly acute to acuminate, slightly recurved.

narrowly lanceoloid, narrowly ovoid, or narrowly cylindric, 4–10 × 1–1.5 mm, apex narrowly acute;

proximal scale amplexicaulous or clasping 3/4 of culm, entire;

subproximal scale empty or with flower;

floral scales spreading in fruit, 20–80, 5–6 per mm of rachilla, orange-brown, midrib regions stramineous, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–2 × 0.8 mm, entire, apex acute, not carinate.

perianth bristles absent;

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm.

perianth bristles 3–6, stramineous, stout, unequal, rudimentary to less than 1/2 achene length;

stamens 3;

anthers stramineous, 0.7–1.4 mm;

styles 3-fid.

with angles and longitudinal ridges ca. 6–10, rather prominent, broadly ovoid, less than 2 times longer then wide, (0.55–)0.65–0.75 × 0.3–0.4 mm, apex blunt, trabeculae distinct, 20–30.

falling with scales, stramineous, ellipsoid, compressed-trigonous, angles prominent (keeled), 0.6–0.65 × 0.4–0.45 mm, base narrowed, neck long, smooth at 40X.

grayish, mostly appressed, pyramidal, often depressed, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.25 mm.

brown, pyramidal, as high as wide to greatly depressed, 0.1–0.25 × 0.15–0.2 mm.