Flora of North America species comparison

leafiest toward base, ± trigonous, slender.

arching-ascending, leafy, obtusely trigonous, slender;

principal leaves overtopped by inflorescence;

blades flat, to 3 mm, apex tapering, trigonous.

basal leaves spreadingascending, distal more erect, mostly exceeded by culms (except in highaltitude forms);

blades proximally flat or strongly folded, 1.5–4 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate.

spikelet clusters (2–)3–5, compact, proximalmost widely spaced, turbinate to ovoid;

peduncles ascending;

branches ascending to spreading;

leaf bracts exceeding proximalmost clusters, exceeded by distal cluster.

terminal and axillary, clusters 1–5 or more, compact, turbinate or hemispheric, 1–1.5 cm wide;

peduncles progressively shorter distally on culm;

bracteal leaves mostly exceeding subtended compounds.

deep redbrown to nearly black, ovoid, 3–4 mm, apex acute;

fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3 mm, apex acute, midrib included or shortexcurrent.

rich deep brown, rarely pale brown, lanceellipsoid, 3.5–4(–5) mm;

fertile scale elliptic, 2.7–3 mm, apex acute or rounded, midrib shortexcurrent or not.

perianth bristles 6, some short, some extending to or nearly to tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate.

perianth absent.

2–3 per spikelet, 2–2.1 mm;

body pale yellowbrown, lenticular, broadly ellipsoidobovoid, 1.3–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm;

surfaces transversely irregularly rugulose, intervals with rows of vertical, narrowly rectangular alveolae;

tubercle evenly or concavely triangular, 0.5–0.6(–0.7) mm.

(1–)2–3(–5) per spikelet, (2–)2.5–3 mm;

body redbrown with pale central disc, stipitate, lenticular, obovoid, 1.2–1.5 × 0.7–1(–1.2) mm, margins pale, wirelike, surfaces slick;

tubercle triangular-subulate, (0.8–)1–1.2(–1.6) mm.