Flora of North America species comparison

erect or spreading, slender, stiff.

tufted or close together, erect to leaning, smooth except in inflorescence.

sheaths hirsute;

principal blades linear to lance-linear, 5–12 cm, hirsute-hispid-ciliate, surfaces strigose-hispid or glabrous.

proximal sheaths hispid-hirsute, median smooth, distal progressively shorter, smoother;

principal blades toward midculm, linear to lance-linear, flat, 5–15 cm, smooth to sparsely strigose or puberulent, margins proximally or entirely spreading, hispid-ciliate.

in solitary terminal clusters or several terminal clusters, less often from proximal 1–2 nodes, principal involucral bract mostly exceeding compound or cluster.

in clusters of terminal spikelets or from 1–2(–3) penultimate nodes, proximalmost involucral bract exceeding peduncle and cluster, distalmost shorter.

lance-ovoid to cylindric, 5–8(–12) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales oblong to obovate, 2.5–3 mm;

cusp excurved, nearly length of scale, scabridulous;

median ribs 3, strong.

ovoid to cylindric, 10–15(–20) mm;

fertile scales 3–3.5 mm;

cusp excurved, length of scale;

median ribs 3, strong.

perianth bristles extending at least to base of perianth blades, often near to tips, retrorsely barbellate;

perianth blades long-clawed, mostly ovate, base 3–5-ribbed, apex slenderly acuminate, incurved, awned;

anthers 1–3, 0.5–0.7 mm.

perianth bristles incurved, mostly shorter than perianth stipe, mostly smooth;

perianth blades short-oblong, ± equal to stipes, apex acute, strongly incurved, thickened distally, sometimes apiculate;

anthers 3, 1–1.3 mm.

stipe slender;

body angles wirelike, faces lustrous, deep brown to red-brown, 1 mm;

beak slender, stiff, tip papillate.

body trigonous, angles wirelike, faces lustrous brown or red-brown, 1 mm;

beak linear, hispidulous at dilated tip.

= 46.

= 46.