Flora of North America species comparison

to 2 times wider than thick, 35–60(–70) cm × 0.5–1.3 mm, hard, usually with to 10 blunt ribs, at 20X often finely ridged and minutely granular.

terete, often with a few blunt ridges when dry, 20–50 cm × 0.2–0.7 mm, soft, spongy.

distal leaf sheaths brown to reddish.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, not splitting, proximally red or stramineous, distally green, membranous, apex usually reddish, subtruncate to obtuse, not callose, tooth present, to 0.4 mm.

3–12 × 3–4 mm;

proximal scale amplexicaulous, 3.5–4 mm, midrib region very broad and fleshy, apex entire;

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales 30–40, 8–10 per mm of rachilla, orange-brown to stramineous, midrib region stramineous, broadly ovate, papery or sometimes membranous, 3–4 × 2 mm, apex entire, rounded.

narrowly lanceoloid, narrowly ovoid, or narrowly cylindric, 4–10 × 1–1.5 mm, apex narrowly acute;

proximal scale amplexicaulous or clasping 3/4 of culm, entire;

subproximal scale empty or with flower;

floral scales spreading in fruit, 20–80, 5–6 per mm of rachilla, orange-brown, midrib regions stramineous, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–2 × 0.8 mm, entire, apex acute, not carinate.

perianth bristles present, sometimes rudimentary, brown, length variable, obscurely retrorsely spinulose;

anthers brown, 1.7–2.2 mm.

perianth bristles 3–6, stramineous, stout, unequal, rudimentary to less than 1/2 achene length;

stamens 3;

anthers stramineous, 0.7–1.4 mm;

styles 3-fid.

subdeltoid in outline, sometimes broadly obpyriform, equilaterally trigonous, angles prominent, 0.9–1.2 × 0.7–1.1 mm, apex truncate.

falling with scales, stramineous, ellipsoid, compressed-trigonous, angles prominent (keeled), 0.6–0.65 × 0.4–0.45 mm, base narrowed, neck long, smooth at 40X.

sessile, depressed-pyramidal, often apiculate, as wide as achene, 0.3–0.5 × 0.7–1.1 mm.

brown, pyramidal, as high as wide to greatly depressed, 0.1–0.25 × 0.15–0.2 mm.