Flora of North America species comparison

polystichous, mostly spreading-excurved, to 1/2 as long as culms;

sheaths usually entire;

ligule absent;

blades linear, 2–3 mm wide, flat or shallowly involute, margin scabrid, apex blunt.

nearly distichous, ascending, 1/2–3/4 length of culms;

sheath margins ciliolate, adaxial surface sparsely to copiously hirtellous distally;

ligule present, complete;

blades narrowly linear, 2–4(–5) mm wide, flat to shallowly involute, margins ciliate-scabrid, abaxial surface pilose-hirsute.

simple or compound anthelae with numerous small pedunculate clusters of sessile spikelets;

scapes linear, distally terete, 1–2 mm thick;

involucral bracts short, usually shorter than inflorescence.

anthelae compound, ascending-branched, longer than broad;

scapes distally oval or flattened, glabrous to pubescent;

longest involucral bract exceeding anthela.

greenish brown or yellow-brown, ovoid, 2–3 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate, 1–1.5 mm, obtuse or apically notched, midrib not excurrent.

rusty brown, lanceoloid, 4–6 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate to nearly orbiculate, 2–3 mm, broadly acute, midrib excurrent as mucro or cusp.

stamens usually 1;

styles 2-fid, slender, glabrous.

stamens 2;

styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate.

dark brown to nearly black, tumidly obovoid, rarely obscurely 3-ribbed, 1 mm, faintly striate to variously warty, faintly reticulate.

pale to dark brown with pale umbo, lenticular-obpyriform, 1.7–2 mm, finely pitted, appearing nearly smooth, the pits in at least 20 narrow vertical rows per face.

= 56.

= 10.