Flora of North America species comparison

stiffly erect or ascending, leafy-based, triangular, multiribbed.

arching, slender, leafy.

ascending or erect, crowded toward culm base, shorter, more widely spaced distally, longest overtopping or equaling subtended inflorescences;

principal blades flat, trigonous distally, 4–6 mm wide, apex attenuate, trigonous.

exceeded by culm;

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

terminal and axillary, compounds of fascicles, nearly umbellate;

clusters hemispheric to nearly capitate, 1.5–2 cm wide; 1 cluster nearly sessile, others on slender rays to 7 cm, sometimes penultimate node with single cluster on peduncle 7–12 cm.

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

distal foliaceous bracts mostly exceeded by inflorescences.

light redbrown, lanceoloid, 6–7 mm, apex acute;

fertile scales lance-ovate, 5 mm, apex acute to blunt, midrib shortexcurrent or not.

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

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

perianth bristles 6, overtopping tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate.

perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle tip, antrorsely barbellate.

1 per spikelet, (5.5–)6–7 mm;

body obovoid, 3–4 × 2–2.5 mm, margins thick, crimped, surfaces level or concave, minutely pebbled;

tubercle narrowly conic, 2grooved, 3–4 mm, base blunt, stout, capping fruit apex, tip barely exserted.

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.