Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect, green or reddish, simple or branched near base, not wiry, 1.5–5 cm, glabrous.

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.

uniformly distributed, dense, not articulated to ocreae, basal leaves persistent or caducous, distal leaves gradually reduced to bracts;

ocrea 3–6 mm, glabrous, proximal part cylindric, distal part disintegrating almost to base, with whitish, straight, rigid fibers;

petiole absent;

blade 3-veined, without pleats, linear to lanceolate, 10–20 × 0.6–2.7 mm, margins revolute, smooth, apex spine-tipped.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, elongate;

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

axillary;

cymes in most axils, 2–3-flowered.

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

enclosed in ocreae, erect, 0.1–1 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.

closed;

perianth 2.3–2.7 mm;

tube 3–7% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, whitish with whitish or pink margins, petaloid, oblong, navicular, dimorphic, outer 2 shorter than inner 3, outer 2 0.8–1.2 mm, inner 2.3–2.7 mm, papillose at base, apex acute or acuminate;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 5–6.

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

enclosed in perianth, olive brown, narrowly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.