Flora of North America species comparison

spreading to erect, leafy, obtusely triangular.

leafiest at base, trigonous, slender, somewhat stiff.

often exceeding inflorescences;

blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 1–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

exceeded by culms;

basal blades spreading, blunt, distal ascending, linear, proximally flat, 2–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.

terminal and axillary, clusters of 1–5 corymbs; leafy bracts much exceeding corymbs.

spikelet clusters 3–5 or more, compact, proximalmost widely spaced, turbinate to hemispheric or lobed;

peduncles ascending, branches ascending; leafy bracts setaceous at apex, exceeding compounds, setaceous bracts often exceeding ultimate clusters, imparting bristly aspect.

few to several, on ascending, stiff, short-to-elongate branches, red-brown to brown, lanceoloid, (5–)6–10 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales many, ovate, shallowly convex, 5 mm, apex acuminate;

midrib short-excurrent or not.

redbrown, ovoid to lanceoloid, (2.7–)3–4 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3 mm, apex acute, shortacuminate, or notched, midrib usually excurrent as cusp or awn.

perianth absent.

perianth bristles 6, not reaching further than fruit midbody.

1.5 mm;

body dark brown to black, tumidly lenticular, nearly orbicular, 0.8–0.9 × 0.6–0.7 mm, margins grooved, discontinuous with tubercle;

surfaces transversely wavyrugose, ridges of contiguous rows of vertical, linear, raised cells;

tubercle broad, low triangular, 0.2–0.3 mm, crustaceous, base capping fruit summit, raised at ends, apex shortacuminate.

1–3 per spikelet, (1.8–)2–2.3(–2.5) mm;

body brown, tumidly lenticular, obovoid to suborbicular, 1.4–1.6(–1.8) × 1.2–1.5 mm;

surfaces transversely sharply rugose, intervals of rows of vertical, variously rectangular alveolae;

tubercle somewhat compressed, triangular to shortconic, 0.5–0.7 mm, shortsubulate, basal rim often present.