Flora of North America species comparison

erect to spreading, leafybased;

scapes nearly filiform, nearly trigonous, few ribbed.

stiffly erect, leafy, triangular, multiribbed.

spreading to erect, exceeded by scape;

blades filiform to linear, proximally flat or involute, becoming involute, 0.4–2 mm wide, apex tapering, trigonous.

ascending, overtopped by inflorescence;

principal leaves flat proximally, 3–12 mm wide, apex attenuate, trigonous.

terminal, solitary, headlike, dense, white, leafyinvolucrate, 0.5–1 cm wide;

involucral bracts 3–6, spreading to recurved, whitebased, greentipped, narrowly linear, longest bract elongatesubulate, 4–8 cm × 2–5 mm.

terminal and axillary from distal culm nodes, mostly diffuse clusters of corymbs;

clusters mostly loose;

bracteal leaves usually exceeded by inflorescences.

white, ovoid, 4–6 mm;

scales several, boatshaped, basal ones with ciliolate keel, fertile ones 3–3.8 mm.

red-brown or orangish tint, lanceoloid, 13–18 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales lance-ovate, 10–13 mm, apex acute to acuminate, midrib short-excurrent, minutely scabrous.

perianth absent.

longer perianth bristles extending from near tubercle base to 3 mm beyond, antrorsely barbellate.

1–1.2 mm;

body yellow to black, nearly orbicular, tumidly lenticular, 0.8–1 × 0.6–0.7(–1) mm;

surface lattices shortlinear, vertical in fine undulating rows, with ends raised to rounded, transverse rugulosities;

tubercle lowtriangular, lunate, 0.2–0.3 mm, apex acute, blunt or apiculate.

1–2 per spikelet, 15–24 mm;

body pyriform-obovoid, compressed, 4–5 × 2.8–3.5 mm, margins thick;

surfaces concave, finely transversely striate, minutely cancellate;

tubercle abruptly subulate, 2-grooved, 11–20 mm.