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.

polystichous, spreading to ascending, mostly excurved, exceeding or exceeded by culms;

sheaths entire, backs glabrous;

ligule absent;

blades setaceous-filiform, to 0.5 mm wide, flat to involute, sparsely scabrid-ciliate.

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.

anthelae mostly simple, open, nearly as broad as long, ascending-branching, umbelliform, of 3–10 cormose spikelets;

scapes filiform, 0.5–0.6 mm thick;

proximalmost involucral bracts setaceous-bladed, exceeding 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.

pale green to light brown, ovoid to globose or short-cylindric, 2–5 mm;

fertile scales lance-linear to oblong-linear, 1.5 mm, glabrous, midrib strongly excurrent, erect to excurved cusp.

stamens 3;

styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate.

stamens 1;

styles 2-fid, slender, glabrous.

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

pale brown with iridescent tints, curved-cylindric, 0.4–0.6 mm, finely reticulate, in 12 vertical rows of narrowly rectangular, horizontal cells.

= 20.

= 10.