Flora of North America species comparison

lax, leafy, wandlike, ± terete to obscurely angled, slender.

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

ascending, exceeded by culms;

blades flat, 4–7(–10) mm wide, apex trigonous, shortacuminate, tapering.

ascending, overtopped by culm;

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

spikelet clusters 4–6 or more, equidistant along culm on ascending peduncles, branches capillary, divaricate, clusters loose, diffuse, rounded.

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.

light brown, ellipsoid to lanceoloid or ovoid, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acute;

fertile scales ovate, (1.5–)2–3 mm, apex rounded or acute, midrib forming apiculus.

dark brown, lance-ellipsoid, 2–3 mm;

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

perianth bristles 6, longest exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.

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

2–several per spikelet, 1.3–1.5 mm;

body pale brown, broadly obovoid, tumidly biconvex, 1.1–1.2 × 1–1.1 mm;

surfaces transversely sharply wavyrugulose, intervals with vertical, rectangular, shallow alveolae;

tubercle depressedconic, slightly compressed, 0.2–0.3(–0.4) mm, edges setulose.

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.