Flora of North America species comparison

to 45 cm × 0.2–1 mm.

mostly ascending, terete or 4-angled, 2 cm × 0.2–0.3 mm, soft.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, firm, distally tightly sheathing, apex acute.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, greenish to whitish, translucent, membranous, apex blunt.

orbicular to ovoid, 1–9 × 1–4 mm, apex rounded to acute;

proximal scale without flower, not amplexicaulous;

floral scales to 125, 11–14 per mm of rachilla, tightly appressed, dark red-brown to stramineous, ovate to elliptic, 0.8–3 × 0.6–2(–2.3) mm, membranous to cartilaginous, apex rounded to acute.

ovoid, 2–3 × 1 mm, apex acute;

floral scales 7–10, 5 per mm of rachilla, bright brown or colorless, medially greenish, ovate to lanceolate, not folded lengthwise, 0.8–1.2(–1.5) × 0.6–0.8 mm, midrib obscure to slightly keeled, apex acute to acuminate.

perianth bristles (0–)4–8, typically 7, red-brown, rarely whitish, vestigial to much exceeding tubercle, typically equaling achene, spinules few to dense;

styles 2-fid.

perianth bristles absent;

anthers orange-brown, 0.2–0.3 mm.

brown ripening to black, biconvex, orbicular to obpyriform, 0.5–1.1 × 0.3–0.7 mm, apex rarely constricted proximal to tubercle, very finely reticulate at 40X.

brownish, broadly ovoid to obpyriform, much less than 2 times longer than wide, with angles plus longitudinal ridges ca. 6, rather obscure, 0.5–0.55 × 0.35 mm, apex blunt, trabeculae 15–20, distinct.

stramineous to whitish, umbonate to subconic, 0.2–0.4 × 0.2–0.5 mm, apex rounded to acute.

grayish or brownish, often appressed, mostly pyramidal, 0.1 × 0.1 mm.

= 10.