Flora of North America species comparison

leafy at base, filiform, wiry.

arching, slender, leafy.

blades filiform, nearly reaching inflorescence tip or much shorter, to 0.3 mm thick, apex tapering.

exceeded by culm;

blades elongate linear, proximally flat, 2–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate.

spikelet clusters mostly 2–6, simple or reduced to 1 spikelet, often with 2 capillary branches, one divaricate or reflexed, 1 ascending; leafy bracts single per cluster, filiform, setaceous, with clusters appearing lateral to bracts.

terminal and lateral, clusters 2–3, loosely turbinate, clusters, capillary pedunculate;

distal foliaceous bracts mostly exceeded by inflorescences.

pale redbrown, ellipsoidlanceoloid, 5–6(–8) mm, apex acute to acuminate;

fertile scales narrowly ovate, 3–5(–6) mm, apex acute, midrib included or shortexcurrent.

few per cluster, brown, broadly ovoid, 4 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales oblongovate, 3 mm, midrib forming small awn.

perianth bristles 6, not reaching past fruit midbody, stubby, plumose to near tip.

perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle tip, antrorsely barbellate.

3–8 per spikelet, 2–2.5 mm;

body light brown to brown, ellipsoid-obovoid, tumidly lenticular, 1.5–2 × 1.6–1.7 mm;

surfaces faintly, interruptedly crossrugulose, apically indented under tubercle;

tubercle lowconic, 0.5 mm, base flaring, circular.

mostly 2 per spikelet, 3 mm;

body pale yellowbrown, pyriform-obovoid, lenticular, 2 × 1.4 mm;

surfaces transversely wavyrugulose, vertically striatealveolate between ridges;

tubercle subulatetriangular, 1 mm.