Flora of North America species comparison

erect or spreadingarching, linearfiliform, terete, leafy toward base.

erect to ascending, leafiest at base, triangular, slender, somewhat stiff.

overtopped by culm;

blades ascending, filiform, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, margins deeply involute, then channeled, apex trigonous, setaceous.

exceeded by culm;

basal blades crowded, spreadingexcurved, distal ascending, linear, proximally flat, 3–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, shortsubulate.

spikelet clusters 1–2(–4), dense(–open), narrowly to broadly turbinate;

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

spikelet clusters 3–5, compact, the proximalmost widely spaced, turbinate or lobed to hemispheric; leafy bracts setaceous, mostly overtopping clusters.

brownish, lanceellipsoid to fusiform, 2–2.5(–3) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales broadly elliptic, 1.5 mm, apex narrowly rounded to broadly acute, apiculate, convexcupulate, midrib narrow, shortexcurrent or included.

redbrown, broadly ovoid, 3–3.5(–4) mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales broadly ovate to ± orbiculate, 2–2.5(–3) mm, apex rounded to notched, midrib included or shortexcurrent.

perianth absent.

perianth bristles 6, reaching from fruit midbody to tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.

1–3 or more per spikelet, (0.6–)0.7–0.9(–1) mm;

body pale, glassy, obovoidlenticular, 0.6–0.7 × 0.4–0.5 mm, margins narrow, wirelike;

surfaces finely striate, very finely reticulate;

tubercle button depressedtriangular or patelliform, 0.1–0.15 mm, apiculate.

1–2 per spikelet, (2–)2.5–2.8(–3) mm;

body brownish, broadly obovoid to nearly orbicular, 1.5–2 × 1.5–2 mm;

surfaces strongly transversely wavyrugose, intervals rows of vertical, rectangular alveolae;

tubercle conic-subulate, basal rim flaring above short neck on achene.