Flora of North America species comparison

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

conspicuous.

weakly cespitose or solitary, 8–40 cm.

not cespitose, decumbent, 10–20 cm.

short, slender.

basal leaves few;

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

basal leaves few, 2.5–15 cm × 4 mm, apex callous, pilose.

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.

racemose;

glomerules 2–6, central glomerules sessile or all congested, not cylindric;

peduncles straight, divergent as much as 90°, to 3 cm;

proximal inflorescence bract dark, often purplish, leaflike.

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 dark reddish, shining, with wide clear margins and apex, (apex acuminate, midrib extending as awned tip), 3–3.5 mm;

outer and inner whorls equal;

anthers ca. 2–6 times filament length;

stigmas ± equal to style.

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

brown, shining, (usually lighter than tepals), conspicuously shorter than to nearly equal to tepals; (beak obvious).

dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.9–1.3 mm;

caruncle 0.5–0.7 mm.

reddish, globose, 1–1.3 mm;

caruncle to 1/2 seed length.

= 12.

= 12.