Flora of North America species comparison

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.

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.

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.

anthelae compound, ascending-branched, longer than broad;

scapes distally oval or flattened, glabrous to pubescent;

longest involucral bract exceeding anthela.

yellowish, mostly turgidly ovoid, 5–8 mm;

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

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 3, styles 2-fid, flattened, fimbriate.

stamens 2;

styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate.

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.

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.

= 10.

= 10.