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.

1.5–3 times as wide as thick, 20–100 cm × 0.35–2 mm, firm to hard, wiry, with to 8 subacute ribs, rarely nearly smooth;

some culms arching or decumbent and rooting at tips.

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

distal leaf sheaths not splitting abaxially, proximally dark red to brown, apex usually reddish.

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, 5–17 × 2.5–5 mm, apex acute;

spikelets on stolons rudimentary, non-flowering, proliferous when rooting;

proximal scale empty, amplexicaulous, ovate, 2–4 mm;

subproximal scale with flower;

floral scales 20–40, 2–3 per mm of rachilla, stramineous to medium brown, midrib region paler, ovate, 3.5–6 × 2–3 mm, membranous to cartilaginous, apex entire, rounded to subacute.

perianth bristles absent;

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm.

perianth bristles brown, equaling achene or tubercle, densely spinulose;

anthers brown, 2–2.4 mm.

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.

often very variable within one plant, ovoid to obovoid or obpyriform, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.2 mm, beak to 1 × 0.6 mm.

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

when present pale to dark brown, pyramidal, to 0.5 × 0.3 mm.