Flora of North America species comparison

present, caudexlike, mostly concealed by crowded culms, vertical or ascending, 2 mm thick;

internodes very short, scales disintegrating to fibers, 4 mm, papery.

erect to ascending or arching, acutely quadrangular, deeply sulcate, 7–50 cm × 0.3–0.5 mm, smooth, firm.

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

distal leaf sheaths persistent, proximally brown or reddish, distally stramineous to green, thickly membranous, apex acute or subacute.

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.

basal spikelets absent; often proliferous, ovoid, terete, 3–10 × 2–3 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale empty, amplexicaulous, similar to floral scales;

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales spiraled, 8–15, 4 per mm of rachilla, orange-brown, midrib region broadly stramineous or like flanks, ovate, 2–3 × 1.2–2 mm, membranous, midrib evident to prominent, apex acute (to 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 6 or fewer, stramineous, unequal, some or most equaling achene, spinules obscure, sparse, retrorse, sharply acute.

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.

3;

anthers 1.2–1.5 mm.

3-fid.

stramineous, broadly obpyriform, equilaterally trigonous, angles evident, blunt, 0.9–1.1 × 0.7–0.9 mm, apex nearly truncate, smooth or obscurely papillose or rugulose at 20X.

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.

stramineous, pyramidal, trigonous, usually acute, proximally trilobed, the lobes decurrent on achene, 0.5–0.9 × 0.7–0.9 mm.

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