Flora of North America species comparison

to 45 cm × 0.2–1 mm.

erect, ascending or arching, pentagonal, sulcate, 1.5–10 cm × 0.2–0.3 mm [larger], soft.

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

distal leaf sheaths persistent or disintegrating, pale brown to green, red-spotted [mostly red-brown], membranous;

apex acuminate.

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.

basal spikelets usually present, bisexual; often proliferous, ellipsoid or obovoid, laterally compressed, 1.7–3.9 × 1.2–2 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale empty or with a flower, deciduous, amplexicaulous, similar to floral scales (sometimes 2.4–2.9 mm);

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales clearly distichous, 2–6 [or more], 4–6 per mm of rachilla, pale brown [marked red-brown], ovate or elliptic, 1.8–2.5 × 0.8–1.4 mm, membranous, apex rounded to obtuse, midribs green, keeled.

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 6, colorless or pale brown, shorter than achenes;

spinules not evident at 45X;

stamens 3;

anthers (0.55–)0.7 mm;

styles 3-fid.

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.

stramineous (to cream), obovoid, trigonous or subterete, not compressed, angles prominent, 0.8 × 0.5–0.55 mm, apex not constricted proximal to tubercle, coarsely cancellate or honeycomb-reticulate at 10–15X.

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

red-brown, pyramidal, trigonous, proximally clearly to obscurely 3-lobed, lobes decurrent on achene angles, 0.3–0.35 × 0.3–0.4 mm.

= 10.