Flora of North America species comparison

2–35 cm × 0.3–1 mm.

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

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

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

apex acuminate.

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.

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 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 6, colorless or pale brown, shorter than achenes;

spinules not evident at 45X;

stamens 3;

anthers (0.55–)0.7 mm;

styles 3-fid.

0.75–1 × 0.6–0.85 mm.

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.

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.

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.