Flora of North America species comparison

nearly distichous, spreading to ascending, 1/2 length of culms;

sheath margins entire, backs smooth to pubescent;

ligule present, complete;

blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3.5(–4) mm wide, margins scabrid-ciliate, abaxial surface sometimes pubescent.

distichous, in fans, to ca. 2/3 plant height;

sheaths keeled, equitant, margins entire;

ligule absent;

blades bifacial (flattened in same plane as sheath), narrowly triangularlinear, to 2 mm wide, margins scabrid at least distally.

anthelae simple or compound, longer than wide;

scapes wandlike, nearly terete or slightly compressed, distally 1 mm thick, marginal ribs scabrid;

longest primary involucral bract shorter than panicle.

anthela compound, usually diffuse, branched, broadening upward, often as broad as long;

scapes slender, angularly ribbed and/or somewhat compressed distally, 1–1.5 mm wide or thick;

involucral bracts exceeded by anthela.

pale dull brown, lance-ovoid to cylindric-ellipsoid, 10–12 mm;

fertile scales ovate, 3.5–4 mm, apex broadly acute, ciliate, surface uniformly puberulent, midrib excurrent as mucro or cusp.

dark red-brown, broadly ovoid to near round, 2–4 min;

fertile scales broadly ovate to orbiculate, 1 mm, glabrous, apex broadly rounded, midrib not excurrent.

stamens 3;

styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate.

stamens 1–2;

styles 3-fid, slender, base dilated, apex pubescent.

dark brown, lenticular-obovoid, 1.5 mm, finely cancellate, with 20 or more longitudinal rows of horizontally rectangular pits per side.

pale brown, tumid, obovoid, 1 mm, apiculate, reticulate, with pits narrowly rectangular in 4–6 vertical rows per side, the longitudinal ribs most prominent and mostly warty.

= 20.

= 10.