Flora of North America species comparison

leafiest toward base, ± trigonous, slender.

filiform, leafy at base, wiry.

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.

ascending to erect;

blades filiform, nearly terete, or channeled, sometimes compressed, nearly reaching distal inflorescence or much shorter, 0.2–0.3 mm thick, apex 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.

spikelet clusters 2–6, simple or reduced to 1 spikelet, branches ascending to divaricate or reflexed; leafy bracts single per cluster, filiform, setaceous, with clusters appearing lateral to bracts.

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

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

pale redbrown, ellipsoidlanceoloid, 5–6(–8) mm, apex acute to acuminate;

fertile scales oblongelliptic, convex, acuminate, 3.5–5 mm, apex broadly acute, midrib forming apiculus.

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

perianth bristles 6, reaching to or slightly past tubercle base, increasingly plumose from middle to base.

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.

1–3 per spikelet, (2.5–)2.7–3(–3.4) mm;

body light brown to brown, ellipsoidobovoid, distally conspicuously necked, tumidly lenticular, 1.7–2.5 × 1.5–1.8 mm;

surfaces smooth or minutely transversely rugulose;

tubercle conicsubulate, 0.5–0.7 mm, base flaring.