Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect or ascending, leafy, nearly terete or obscurely angular, many-ribbed, stiff.

overtopped by culm;

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

exceeding or exceeded by inflorescences;

blades linear, proximally flat, 1–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

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 axillary, clusters of corymbs 1–5, diffuse, branches ascending to divaricate; leafy bracts much exceeding axillary corymbs.

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.

redbrown to dark brown, ovoidlanceoloid, 3–6(–7) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales several, narrowly ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex narrowly acute;

midrib included or shortexcurrent.

bristles 6, some reaching to apex of fruit body.

perianth absent.

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.

1.3–1.5 mm;

body brown to blackish, tumidly lenticular, nearly orbicular, 0.6–1 × 0.6–1 mm, margins distinct, narrow, flowing into base of tubercle;

tubercle flat, narrowly triangular, at least 0.5 mm high, base broadly 2-lobed, apex acuminate.