Flora of North America species comparison

erect to arching, leafy, trigonous, slender, firm.

arching, slender, leafy.

overtopped by culms;

blades linear, proximally flat, 3–7 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.

exceeded by culm;

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

spikelet clusters 2–6, sparse, widely spaced, turbinate;

peduncles and branches ascending; leafy bracts exceeding proximal clusters.

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

distal foliaceous bracts mostly exceeded by inflorescences.

light redbrown, ovoid to ellipsoid, (4–)5–8(–9) mm, apex acute or acuminate;

fertile scales ovate, (5.5–)6–6.5(–7) mm, midrib included or shortexcurrent.

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

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

perianth bristles 6(–8), mostly reaching from fruit midbody to tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate.

perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle tip, antrorsely barbellate.

1–2 per spikelet, (3.5–)4–5 mm;

body dark brown to mahogany or nearly black, broadly obovoid, tumid, nearly smooth, buttressed to tubercle;

tubercle lowconic, rimmed, 0.7(–1) mm, apex apiculate.

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.