Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green-brown, simple or branched from base, not wiry, 2–5(–8) cm, glabrous.

erect, green, divaricately branched, not wiry, 5–50 cm, usually papillose-scabrid-ulous, rarely glabrescent.

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

ocrea 2–4(–5) mm, glabrous, proximal part cylindric, distal part deeply lacerate, disintegrating into white, curled fibers;

petiole absent;

blade 3-veined, without pleats, linear-lanceolate, subulate, 5–13(–20) × 0.4–1 mm, margins revolute, smooth, apex spine-tipped.

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

ocrea 8–12 mm, papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part disintegrating into a few persistent fibers;

petiole 0.1–2 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear to lanceolate, 35–60 × 1–3 mm, margins flat or narrowly revolute, smooth or papillose-denticulate, apex acute, mucronate.

axillary;

cymes in most axils, 1-flowered.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, dense;

cymes crowded, ± overlapping at branch tips, 2–5-flowered.

absent.

enclosed in or slightly exserted from ocreae, erect to spreading, 0.5–2 mm.

closed;

perianth 1.5–2(–2.5) mm;

tube 6–15% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, usually reddish with white margins, petaloid, oblong, navicular, apex acute;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

open or semi-open;

perianth 3–5 mm;

tube 9–17% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, uniformly pink or white, petaloid, oblong-obovate, cucullate, navicular in distal 1/4, apex rounded;

midveins branched;

stamens 8.

slightly exserted from perianth at maturity, dark brown, ovate, 1.2–1.6(–2) mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

enclosed in perianth, black, narrowly elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 3–5 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth to striate-tubercled.