Flora of North America species comparison

densely cespitose, stiffly erect, reddish brown, 3–26 cm.

round.

absent.

basal leaves reddish, 2.5–7 cm × 2–5 mm, firm, apex callous, glabrous.

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.

pyramidal, 5–10 mm wide;

glomerules 1–5, sessile, sometimes with 1–2 smaller glomerules on short peduncles;

proximal inflorescence bract conspicuous, reddish, usually exceeding inflorescence, generally stiff;

bracteoles clear.

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 very dark with clear margins, 2–3 mm;

outer whorl slightly exceeding inner whorl;

anthers ± equaling filaments.

tepals 6, in 2 whorls;

stamens 6.

dark brown to black in distal portion, much shorter than tepals; (beak 0.3 mm).

1-locular, generally globose;

beak often formed by persistent style base.

dark brown, oval, 0.8 mm;

caruncle about 0.2 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.

= 20, 22.