Flora of North America species comparison

erect, leafy, nearly terete or angled, manyribbed.

ascending-excurved, leafy, ± terete, slender.

ascending, overtopped by culm;

blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

terminal and axillary, clusters of corymbs 1–5, usually diffuse; leafy bracts exceeding proximal corymbs.

spikelet clusters (1–)2–3, widely spaced, open to dense, broadly to narrowly turbinate, branches ascending to slightly spreading, capillary; leafy bracts setaceous-tipped, overtopping all but distal clusters.

dark brown, lanceoloid to ovoid, mostly 4–6(–8) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales many, ovate, rounded-convex, 2–3.5 mm, apex acute, midrib mostly included, rarely forming apiculus.

light red-brown, ovoid, 3.5–5 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acute, midrib excurrent as cusp or mucro.

perianth absent.

perianth bristles 6, reaching at most 2/3 length of fruit body, antrorsely barbellate.

1–1.3(–1.5) mm, body dark brown, tumidly lenticular, nearly orbicular, 0.7–1 × 0.7–1 mm, margins strong, interrupted at tubercle base;

surfaces irregularly transversely rugulose with wavy rows of vertical, linear, raised cells;

tubercle depressed-triangular, 0.1–0.3 mm, capping fruit summit, base broadly 2lobed.

1–4(–5) per spikelet, 2 mm;

body brown, strongly compressed, obovoid-ellipsoid, 1.4–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm, margins flowing to tubercle;

surfaces finely transversely rugose, intervals with narrow vertical alveolae;

tubercle flat, low-triangular, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) mm.

midculm leaves often exceeding inflorescences;

blades linear, proximally flattened, 1–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.