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.

subterete to slightly compressed, less than 2 times wider than thick, with 4–7 blunt ridges when dry, 27–56 cm × 0.2–0.5(–0.7) mm, firm to hard, spongy.

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

distal leaf sheaths persistent, not splitting, proximally red, distally green to stramineous, often inflated, thinly papery to membranous, sometimes translucent, apex broadly obtuse to subtruncate, often callose, tooth absent.

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.

ovoid, 3–10 × 2–3 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale amplexicaulous, apex 2-fid;

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales spreading in fruit, 20–50, 7 per mm of rachilla, medium brown, midrib region often narrowly stramineous, carinate, lanceolate-attenuate, 2–2.8 × 1 mm, apex 2-fid.

perianth bristles absent;

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm.

perianth bristles 3 or absent, stramineous to pale brown, rudimentary to 1/2 achene length, obscurely retrorsely spinulose;

stamens 3;

anthers orange-brown, 0.7–1.3 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, medium or dark brown, obpyriform, nearly equilaterally obscurely trigonous or cross section nearly circular, 0.7–1 × 0.5–0.65 mm, neck distinct or rarely absent, obscurely rugulose at 10–30X, 30 or more low, blunt horizontal ridges in vertical series.

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

brown, depressed-pyramidal, often rudimentary, 0.1–0.15 × 0.2 mm.