Flora of North America species comparison

terete, 50–100 cm × 5–8.4 mm, soft to firm, obscurely to clearly septate-nodulose throughout, internally hollow with complete transverse septa, closer together near the spikelet;

plants never forming filiform, flaccid culms.

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.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, membranous to thinly papery, apex acute to slightly acuminate.

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

not proliferous, 20–45 × 4–5(–8) mm;

rachilla joints bearing prominent winglike remnants of floral scales;

proximal scale empty, amplexicaulous, (2–)2.8–4.9 mm;

floral scales 85–160, 1–3 per mm of rachilla, stramineous to pale brown, usually with pale to dark brown submarginal band, obovate to oblong, (4.8–)5.2–7 × 3–4.4 mm, cartilaginous, often membranous toward margins, margins broadly translucent, membranous, apex rounded to obtuse.

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.

perianth bristles 3–8, stramineous to reddish, slender, vestigial to 2.5 mm, shorter than to equaling achene, smooth or obscurely retrorsely spinulose;

anthers stramineous to red-striated, 2.6–3.2 mm;

styles 2–3-fid.

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.

yellowish to reddish brown, obovoid, biconvex to obscurely compressed trigonous, 1.8–2.3 × 1.4–1.9 mm, obscurely sculptured or sometimes partially smooth at 10–15X, each face with 20–40 rows of linear, transversely elongated cells, lines separating cells obscure, apex with very short neck 0.6–0.8 mm wide.

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.

dark brown, lamelliform, high-deltoid, 0.6–1.1 × 0.5–0.7 mm.

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