Flora of North America species comparison

2–35 cm × 0.3–1 mm.

greatly compressed, 4–10 times wider than thick, often with 1 or 2 sharp ridges on 1 side, (8–)20–35 cm × 0.7–2.3 mm, hard, finely striate, spongy.

apex of distal leaf sheath obtuse to acute, tooth to 0.2 mm.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, not splitting, proximally red or stramineous, distally green to stramineous, inflated, papery, apex dark brown, broadly obtuse to subtruncate, callose, tooth absent.

ovoid, 2–8 × 2–4 mm, apex acute (to blunt);

floral scales 25–100+, ca. 10 per mm of rachilla, orange-brown, rarely stramineous, ovate, 1.5–2 × 1 mm, midribs often keeled in distal part of spikelet, apex rounded to subacute.

ovoid, 4–9 × 2.5–4 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale clasping 2/3–3/4 of culm, apex 2-fid;

subproximal scale empty or with a flower;

floral scales spreading in fruit, 30–60, 6–9 per mm of rachilla, medium or pale brown, midrib region often paler, ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5 mm, apex 2-fid, carinate in distal part of spikelet.

perianth bristles present, rarely absent, (5–)6–7, brown, fairly slender, exceeding tubercle;

stamens 2(–3);

anthers brown, 0.3 mm;

styles 2-fid or some 3-fid.

perianth bristles 0(–5), stramineous to pale brown, 1/2 of to equaling achene length;

stamens 3;

anthers orange-brown, 0.7–1.5 mm;

styles 3-fid.

0.75–1 × 0.6–0.85 mm.

falling with scales, yellow-brown to medium brown, obovoid to obpyriform, nearly equilaterally trigonous, cross section circular to slightly compressed, angles obscure or evident, 0.9–1.1 × 0.6–0.75, neck usually very short, finely rugulose at 10–30X, 20 or more low, blunt horizontal ridges in vertical series.

deltoid, 0.3–0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, 3/5 of to as high as wide, 1/3–2/3 as high and 1/2–3/4 as wide as achene.

brown, depressed-pyramidal, often rudimentary, 0.1–0.25 × 0.2–0.3 mm.

= 10.