Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect to ascending, arching, lax, leafy, slender, trigonous.

overtopped by culm;

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

exceeded by inflorescence;

blades ascending to spreading, linear, proximally flat, 1–2(–3) mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.

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

primary leafy bract setaceous, exceeding clusters.

spikelet clusters 4–6, mostly dense, widely spaced, narrowly turbinate to ellipsoid;

peduncles erect to ascending, branches ascending; leafy bracts exceeding proximal clusters.

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.

dark brown, ovoid, 2–3 mm, apex acute;

fertile scales broadly ovate to ± orbiculate, cupulate, 1.5–2 mm, apex rounded to acute, midrib included or excurrent as bristle.

bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body.

perianth bristles 6, from vestigial to (rarely) reaching 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.

2–3 per spikelet, 1.2–1.5 mm;

body brown, obovoid to globose, lenticular, 1–1.2 × 0.8–1 mm, margins narrow, distinct;

surfaces sharply transversely wavyrugose, intervals with rows of vertical, broadly rectangular or ± isodiametric alveolae;

tubercle lowtriangular or triangular, compressed, 0.2–0.3 mm, base lunate.