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.

erect, ascending or arching, quadrangular, sulcate, 1–13 cm × 0.1–0.3 mm, soft.

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

distal leaf sheaths persistent or disintegrating, red-brown, stramineous, green, or mottled red-brown, translucent, apex narrowly 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 often present, bisexual; often proliferous, ovoid or ellipsoid, laterally compressed when young, but terete at maturity, 2–7 × 1–2.6 mm, acute;

proximal scale empty, often persistent, amplexicaulous, similar to floral scales;

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales spirodistichous (superficially appearing ± spiraled), (4–)10–28, 6–9 per mm of rachilla, pale brown, mottled red-brown to purple, ovate or elliptic, 1.3–2.1 × 0.7–1 mm, membranous, midribs green and red-brown, prominent, apex rounded to obtuse.

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 6, colorless, white, or stramineous, slightly shorter than to equaling achene, spinules retrorse, acute;

stamens 3;

anthers 0.4–0.5 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.

greenish or pale brown or red-brown, often clearly spotted greenish or red-brown, ellipsoid to obovoid, trigonous (or terete?), angles prominent (keeled), 0.6–0.8 × 0.4–0.5 mm, apex constricted proximal to tubercle, smooth.

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

red-brown, pyramidal, trigonous, 0.1–0.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm.