Flora of North America species comparison

3–25 cm × 0.2–0.3 mm.

terete.

sheaths usually reddish proximally;

distal blade rudimentary to 6 cm × 0.2–0.5 mm.

all basal;

sheaths green to stramineous, sometimes reddish proximally;

ligules absent;

blades rudimentary to exceeding culms.

involucral bracts 1 or 2;

proximal bract erect to spreading, 3–10(–20) mm;

distal bract reflexed, to 5 mm.

terminal, sometimes pseudolateral, capitate or solitary spikelet;

spikelets 1–3(–15);

involucral bracts 1(–2), spreading to erect, like foliage leaf blades.

3–6 × 2 mm;

scales partly orange- to red- or blackish brown, midrib greenish to stramineous, not gibbous, prominently ribbed near midrib, often with 1+ pale veins on dark sides, 1.2–1.6 × 0.6–1 mm, membranous, hyaline, apex rounded to obtuse, mucro to 0.1 mm;

proximal scale like others.

scales 8–25, spirally arranged, each subtending flower.

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

styles 3-fid or 3-fid and 2-fid.

bisexual;

perianth absent;

stamens 1–3;

styles linear, 2–3-fid, base persistent, sometimes slightly enlarged.

falling separately from floral scales, orange-brown, each face prominently longitudinally 5–8-ribbed, many fine transverse ridges evident at 20–30X, broadly obovoid to oblong, thickly biconvex to compressed-trigonous, abaxial angle obscure, lateral angles prominent, faces convex, 0.8–1 × 0.5 mm.

biconvex or trigonous, papillose or longitudinally ribbed.

= 28.