Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green, simple or branched, not wiry, 5–80 cm, glabrous or sparsely papillose-scabridulous.

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

ocrea 6–12 mm, glabrous or minutely papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part hyaline, lacerate;

petiole 0.1–2 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear, narrow-oblong, or oblanceolate, 15–55 × 2–8(–12) mm, margins revolute, smooth or papillose-denticulate;

apex acute to mucronate.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, elongate;

cymes widely spaced along branches, 2–4-flowered.

mostly exserted from ocreae, reflexed, 2–6 mm.

closed;

perianth 3–4.5 mm;

tube 20–28% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, green to tannish with white or pink margins, petaloid, oblong, cucullate, navicular, apex rounded;

midveins usually branched, rarely unbranched;

stamens 8.

enclosed in perianth, black, elliptic or oblong to ovate, 3–4(–4.5) mm, faces subequal, shiny or dull, smooth or minutely striate-tubercled.