Flora of North America species comparison

densely cespitose, 5-20 cm.

round.

absent.

sheaths brown to straw-colored;

basal leaves to 10 cm × 4 mm;

cauline leaves usually 2, reduced.

sheaths closed, without auricles at throat (junction with blade), usually pilose;

blade flat or channeled, never septate, margins with long, soft, multicellular hairs, apex often thickened (callous), veins commonly indistinct.

glomerules 1-3, sessile;

proximal inflorescence bract inconspicuous, brown, much shorter to ± equaling inflorescence, apex often clear, dentate;

bracts deep brown, margins dentate;

bracteoles deep brown, margins dentate.

terminal;

flowers inserted individually or in dense clusters (glomerules) variously arranged;

bracts subtending inflorescence (proximal inflorescence bracts) 2, mostly leaflike;

bracts subtending inflorescence branches 1–2, reduced;

bracteoles subtending flowers 2–3.

tepals deep brown with narrow clear margins and apex, 1.7-2.1 mm;

anthers ± equaling filament length.

tepals 6, in 2 whorls;

stamens 6.

dark reddish to blackish, shining, spheric, 1.8-2.1 mm, usually exceeding tepals.

1-locular, generally globose;

beak often formed by persistent style base.

translucent, clear brown, broadly elliptic, with few entangled hairs, 1-1.2 mm.

3, globose to ovoid, base often with tuft of fibrous hairs (vestige of funiculus);

nutritive appendage from outer seed coat (caruncle) often present, white, barely visible to ± equaling seed body.

= 6.

= 24.