Flora of North America species comparison

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

lax, often excurved, slender, ± terete or trigonous.

overtopped by culm;

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

ascending, exceeded by culm;

blades linear, proximally flat, 1.5–2.5 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.

clusters 3–4, widely spaced, narrowly, compactly, or diffusely turbinate; 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.

deep redbrown, ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 2–3 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

fertile scales broadly elliptic to obovate or orbiculate, 1.4–2(–2.5) mm, apex rounded to notched, midrib shortexcurrent.

bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body.

perianth bristles 0–3, vestigial when present.

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.

2–4 per spikelet, 1.5 mm;

body pale brown to brown, strongly flattened, orbicular to broadly obovoid, 1–1.3 × 0.9–1.2 mm, surfaces sharply transversely wavyrugose, intervals finely vertically striate with rows of linearrectangular alveolae;

tubercle depressed, triangular, flattened, 0.2–0.3 mm, base lunate.