Flora of North America species comparison

terete, often with 8–12 blunt ridges when dry, 20–55 cm × 0.3–1.3 mm, soft to hard.

subterete to slightly compressed, less than 2 times wider than thick, with 4–7 blunt ridges when dry, 27–56 cm × 0.2–0.5(–0.7) mm, firm to hard, spongy.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, rarely splitting, proximally red to stramineous, distally green to reddish, papery, apex often dark reddish, subtruncate to obtuse, not callose, tooth present on some or all culms of plant, to 0.5 mm.

distal leaf sheaths persistent, not splitting, proximally red, distally green to stramineous, often inflated, thinly papery to membranous, sometimes translucent, apex broadly obtuse to subtruncate, often callose, tooth absent.

cylindric to ovoid, 5–20 × 2–3 mm, apex rounded to subacute;

proximal scale amplexicaulous, apex entire;

subproximal scale empty;

floral scales appressed in fruit, 20–200+, 10 per mm of rachilla, dark brown, midrib regions often stramineous or greenish, oblong, 1.7–2.5 × 1 mm, apex entire, broadly rounded, usually recurved, mostly carinate.

ovoid, 3–10 × 2–3 mm, apex acute;

proximal scale amplexicaulous, apex 2-fid;

subproximal scale with a flower;

floral scales spreading in fruit, 20–50, 7 per mm of rachilla, medium brown, midrib region often narrowly stramineous, carinate, lanceolate-attenuate, 2–2.8 × 1 mm, apex 2-fid.

perianth bristles absent;

stamens 3;

anthers dark yellow, 1–1.5 mm;

styles 3-fid.

perianth bristles 3 or absent, stramineous to pale brown, rudimentary to 1/2 achene length, obscurely retrorsely spinulose;

stamens 3;

anthers orange-brown, 0.7–1.3 mm;

styles 3-fid.

falling with scales, medium to dark brown, obovoid to obpyriform, with short neck, thickly trigonous, angles prominent (keeled), 0.7–0.9 × 0.4–0.6 mm, obscurely to clearly rugulose at 10–20X with more than 20 horizontal ridges in vertical series and/or minutely cancellate at 20–30X.

falling with scales, medium or dark brown, obpyriform, nearly equilaterally obscurely trigonous or cross section nearly circular, 0.7–1 × 0.5–0.65 mm, neck distinct or rarely absent, obscurely rugulose at 10–30X, 30 or more low, blunt horizontal ridges in vertical series.

brown, rudimentary, mostly apiculate, sometimes pyramidal, 0.05–0.15 × 0.15–0.2 mm.

brown, depressed-pyramidal, often rudimentary, 0.1–0.15 × 0.2 mm.