Flora of North America species comparison

erect or ascending, slender, leafy proximal to middle, somewhat stiff.

arching, slender, leafy.

overtopped by culm;

blades ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat or slightly concave, to 1 mm wide, apex narrowing, trigonous, abruptly blunt.

exceeded by culm;

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

spikelet clusters 1–2, if 2 then close together, dense, broadly turbinate to hemispheric or even globose;

primary leafy bract setaceous, exceeding clusters.

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

distal foliaceous bracts mostly exceeded by inflorescences.

redbrown, ovoid, 2–2.5(–4) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales broadly ovate, 1.5–1.9(–2) mm, apex acute to acuminate, midrib excurrent as awn to 0.5 mm.

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

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

bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body.

perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle tip, antrorsely barbellate.

2–3 per spikelet, 1–1.2(–1.4) mm;

body dull dark brown with paler brown center, lenticular, broadly obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 1 × 0.8 mm, margins narrow, flowing to tubercle;

tubercle nearly equilaterally triangular, 0.2–0.3 mm.

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.