Flora of North America species comparison

lax, erect to ascending-excurved, ± terete, leafy, slender, soft.

erect or arching, leafy toward base, filiform, terete, wiry.

exceeded by inflorescence;

blades erect or ascending, linear, proximally flat, 2–4 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.

overtopped by culm;

blades linear to filiform, channeled, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, margins deeply involute, apex setaceous.

spikelet clusters 4–6, widely spaced, loose, broadly to narrowly turbinate, paniculate, branches capillary, ultimate branches with 1 or 2 spikelets; leafy bracts exceeding proximal clusters, setaceous.

spikelet clusters 1–2(–3), dense to open, narrowly to broadly turbinate;

branches capillary, variously elongate; leafy bracts setaceous, equaling or exceeding clusters.

solitary or in 2s, brown, ovoid, 2.5–3.5 mm;

fertile scales ovate, 1.5–2.2 mm, apex acute, apiculate.

variously brown, ellipsoid, 2–3 mm, apex sharply acute;

fertile scales ovate to nearly orbiculate, rounded, 1.2–1.8 mm, apiculate, convexcupulate, midrib slender, mostly included.

perianth bristles 6, reaching tubercle base or slightly beyond, antrorsely barbellate.

perianth absent.

2–3 per spikelet, 1.5–1.6(–1.8) mm;

body brown or greenish, obovoid, lenticular, 1.1–1.2(–1.3) × 0.7–1 mm, margins narrow, distinct, sharp, flowing to tubercle;

surfaces finely transversely wavyrugulose, intervals of fine, nearly isodiametric or vertical-rectangular pitlike alveolae;

tubercle lowtriangular, entire, 0.3–0.4 mm.

2–3 per spikelet, 0.7–0.9(–1) mm;

body pale, obovoid-lenticular, (0.5–)0.6–0.9 × 0.4–0.5 mm, margin wirelike;

surfaces transversely rugulose;

tubercle buttonlike, depressed triangular, 0.05–0.1 mm, base lunate atop rounded fruit body.