Flora of North America species comparison

short, slender, bearing few to several white, swollen (storage) leaf bases.

weakly cespitose or solitary, 8–40 cm.

round.

absent.

basal leaves few;

cauline leaves 2–3, to 17 cm × 7 mm, margins scarcely to densely ciliate.

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 3–20 (each with 6–20 flowers), central glomerules sessile or nearly sessile, cylindric, 5–12 × 5–7 mm;

peduncles straight, erect, 0.5–7 cm;

proximal inflorescence bract leaflike (margins pilose), shorter than inflorescence, margins pilose;

bracts purplish with long clear apex, sheathing, margins sparsely to densely ciliate;

bracteoles white-clear, shining, margins fimbriate.

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 with shining chestnut centers and usually wide clear margins and apex, 2–3 mm;

outer whorl usually exceeding inner whorl, at least by awned tip;

anthers 1–2 times filament length;

stigmas 3–4 times length of styles.

tepals 6, in 2 whorls;

stamens 6.

brown, shining, obovoid (apex truncate), equal or longer than tepals, apex truncate.

1-locular, generally globose;

beak often formed by persistent style base.

dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.9–1.3 mm;

caruncle 0.5–0.7 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.

= 12.