Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green, simple or divaricately branched, ± wiry, 2–20 cm, minutely papillose-scabridulous.

erect, green, simple or with few branches, not wiry, 1.5–3.5 cm, papillose-scabridulous.

crowded at branch tips, not articulated to ocreae, basal leaves caducous or persistent, distal leaves abruptly reduced to bracts;

ocrea 8–13 mm, papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part overlapping and obscuring leaves and flowers, silvery, entire or shallowly dentate;

petiole absent;

blade 3-veined, without pleats, linear, 5–15(–20) × 0.5–1.5(–2) mm, margins revolute, papillose-denticulate, apex spine-tipped.

uniformly distributed, articulated to ocreae, basal leaves persistent, distal leaves abruptly reduced to bracts;

ocrea 2–3.5 mm, papillose-scabridulous, proximal part funnelform, distal part hyaline, lacerate;

petiole absent;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear-subulate, 6–14 × 1 mm, coriaceous, margins revolute, touching along midrib, apex acute, mucronate, papillose.

axillary;

cymes in distal axils, 1-flowered.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, dense;

cymes overlapping, starting almost from stem base, 2–4-flowered.

absent.

enclosed in ocreae, erect to spreading, 0.4–1 mm.

closed;

perianth 2–3 mm;

tube 10–18% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, pink with pink or white margins, petaloid, elliptic, navicular, apex acute to acuminate;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

open;

perianth 2–2.5 mm;

tube 20–25% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, uniformly white, petaloid, oblong to widely obovate, cucullate, navicular in distal 1/4, apex rounded;

midveins branched;

stamens 8.

enclosed in perianth at maturity, light brown to brown, ovate-elliptic, 1.8–2.3 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

enclosed in perianth, black, elliptic, 1.5–2 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.