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.

erect, not spirally twisted, not contracted near spikelet, when dry usually with several blunt to acute ridges and sulcate, subterete to slightly compressed, to 2 times as wide as thick, (5–)10–40 cm × 0.5–1.2 mm, firm to hard, finely many-ridged at 10–20X;

culm tufts not proximally bulbous.

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

distal leaf sheaths stramineous to brown or reddish proximally, green to stramineous distally, subtruncate to obtuse, membranous to papery;

apex brown to red.

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.

5–10 × 2–4 mm;

proximal scale usually empty, 3–5 mm, usually 1/2 or more as long as spikelet;

floral scales 8–12 per spikelet, lanceolate (to ovate), 3.5–5 × 2–2.5 mm.

perianth bristles present or sometimes apparently absent;

stamens 3;

anthers 0.15–0.35;

styles 3-fid.

perianth bristles 6, equal, the longest equaling achene to exceeding tubercle, very slender, spinules dense;

anthers 1.6–3.5 mm.

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.

medium brown to gray or dark brown, equilaterally trigonous to compressed trigonous, rarely some biconvex, 2–2.7 × 0.7–1.3 mm, apex tapered to a distinct stramineous beak 0.2–0.9 × 0.3–0.6 mm.

green or pale brown to red-brown, trigonous.

0.4–0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm.