Flora of North America species comparison

sometimes solitary, narrowly linear, distally angular, glabrous.

ascending, from 1/3 as long to equally as long as culms, glabrous to pubescent;

sheaths apically ciliate;

ligule essentially absent or (in rhizomatous individuals) present, complete or incomplete;

blades narrowly linear, 1–2 mm wide, mostly strongly involute, scabrid-ciliate.

polystichous, mostly spreading to ascending;

sheath margins entire;

ligule present, complete;

blades narrowly linear, to 1 mm wide, flat to shallowly involute, margins distantly scabrid, surface glabrous.

anthelae simple or compound, compact or diffuse, mostly broad, ascending-branching;

scapes slender, wandlike, 1 mm thick;

lower leafy involucral bracts exceeded by or exceeding panicle.

spikelets 1, terminal or 2–3 in simple anthela longer than broad, laterals subsessile;

scapes narrowly linear, coarsely ribbed, distally compressed;

involucral bracts usually 1 per spikelet, exceeding or exceeded by it.

variously red-brown, broadly ovoid to lance-cylindric, 5–10 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate, obtuse or obtuse-angled, 2.5–3.5 mm, abaxially glabrous or variously puberulent, midrib excurrent as mucro.

yellowish, mostly turgidly ovoid, 5–8 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate, 2–3 mm, apex obtuse, entire, midrib excurrent or not.

stamens 3;

styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate.

stamens 3, styles 2-fid, flattened, fimbriate.

yellowish to dark brown, lenticular-obovoid, 1 mm, with 11–20 vertical lines of horizontally rectangular or isodiametric, distinct or indistinct pits.

near white to pale brown, lenticular-obovoid to obpyriform, 2 mm, appearing smooth under 10–20X magnification, under higher power finely longitudinally ribbed, with fine, isodiametric pits in vertical lines.

= 20.

= 10.