Flora of North America species comparison

erect to arching, leafy, linear to filiform, nearly triangular.

excurvednodding, leafy, triangular, slender;

principal leaves overtopped by culm;

blades flat, 2.5–5 mm wide, apex attenuate, trigonous.

ascending, overtopped by culm;

blades flat, linear to filiform, to 1.8 mm wide, apex distally involute, trigonous, setaceous.

terminal and axillary, spikelet clusters 2–4, widely spaced, the lowest near plant base;

clusters compact, broadly turbinate to hemispheric, to 1.5 cm wide; leafy bracts curved, setaceous, slightly to greatly overtopping subtended compounds.

terminal and axillary, spikelet clusters mostly 2–6, compact, turbinate to hemispheric, 1.5–2 cm wide;

peduncles progressively shorter distally on culm;

bracteal leaves mostly exceeding subtended groups.

dark brown, lance-ellipsoid, 2–3 mm;

fertile scales 2 mm, apex acute, midrib short-excurrent or not.

crowded, deep redbrown, lanceellipsoid, 4.5–6.5 mm;

fertile scales ovatelanceolate, 3.5–4(–4.5) mm, apex acute, midrib mostly shortexcurrent.

perianth bristles 6, ± as long as fruit body, retrorsely barbellate.

perianth bristles 6, overtopping tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.

mostly 2 per spikelet, 1.5–1.9 mm;

body brown with yellowish center, ellipsoid, lenticular distal to short stipe, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.8 mm;

tubercle triangular, 0.3–0.6 mm, distinctly shorter than fruit body.

(1–)2(–3) per spikelet, 3–4 mm;

body dark redbrown with pale center, stipitate, lenticular, obovoid, or orbicular, 1.5–2 × 1.2–1.4 mm, base narrowed, margins pale, wirelike;

surfaces slick;

tubercle triangular-subulate, 1.3–1.5(–1.8) mm.