Flora of North America species comparison

20–60 cm × 0.5–0.8 mm, distally smooth.

trigonous, (10–)20–100 cm × 0.6–2 mm distally, scabrous distally.

blades trigonous-channeled in cross section, to 30 cm × 1–2 mm;

distal leaf blade 1–4 cm × 1–1.5 mm, shorter than its 3.5–5.5 cm sheath.

blades flat, to 45 cm × 1–6 mm;

distal leaf longer than sheath.

blade-bearing involucral bracts solitary, similar to distal leaf, blade usually gray or black proximally, 0.6–2 cm.

involucral bracts 2–5, sheathless, scalelike, 0.4–0.8(–2.2) cm, apex sometimes mucronate.

(1–)2–5, in subumbels, narrowly ovoid, 7–10 mm in flower, 15–25 mm in fruit;

peduncles 5–30 mm, scabrous;

scales black or dark gray with black tip, broadly ovate, 3–4 mm, scarious, margins absent or to 0.1 mm wide, 5–9-ribbed, midrib prominent, usually dilated distally, reaching tip, apex obtuse-subacute.

5–30 or more, usually in dense head, occasionally 1 or 2 conspicuous branches, subsessile, oblong-lanceoloid, 3–10 mm in flower and fruit;

scales brown, with pale brown or green, often red-spotted, 1–3-ribbed center, ovate-oblong, 2.5–4 mm, apex acute.

perianth bristles 10 or more, white, 10–15 mm, smooth;

anthers 1–2.5 mm.

perianth bristles usually 6, pale brown, 3–9 mm, usually antrorsely barbed;

anthers 1.2–2 mm.

narrowly obovoid, 1.5–3 mm.

dark brown or gray brown, oblong-obovoid, 1.5–3 mm.