Flora of North America species comparison

often ascending or arching, quadrangular or broadly elliptic, 2–40 cm × 0.1–0.4(–0.6) mm, soft.

distal leaf sheaths persistent or disintegrating, pale brown, green or red-brown, streaked or mottled red-brown or purple, translucent, membranous, apex narrowly acute.

basal spikelets absent; often proliferous, ovoid to ellipsoid or lanceoloid, terete, 2–10.7 × 1–2 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale empty, persistent, amplexicaulous, dissimilar to floral scales, often longer, often resembling an involucral bract, ovate to lanceolate, midrib markedly thickened and broad and often prolonged beyond lamina;

subproximal scale with flower;

floral scales spiraled, colorless, whitish, or pale brown, streaked or mottled red-brown or purple, midribs green and red-brown or green and purple, ovate to elliptic, 0.8–1.5 × 0.4–0.8 mm, membranous, midrib obscure to prominent.

perianth bristles present or sometimes apparently absent;

stamens 3;

anthers 0.15–0.35;

styles 3-fid.

perianth bristles 5–6, whitish to pale or rarely red-brown, 0.2–0.4 mm, shorter than achene, spinules not evident at 45X.

whitish to olive or pale brown, sometimes spotted olive or red-brown, obovoid, trigonous (or subterete), angles prominent, 0.55–0.8 × 0.3–0.5 mm, apex constricted proximal to tubercle, smooth.

0.3–0.45 mm wide.

green or pale brown to red-brown, trigonous.

semicircular in outline or shortly pyramidal, 0.5–0.1 × 0.15–0.2 mm.

scales 0.9–2 × 0.4–0.5 mm.