Flora of North America species comparison

erect to ascending, leafy, stiff.

arching, leafy, obscurely and convexly trigonous, multi-ribbed, slender to stoutish.

shorter than scape;

blades narrowly linear, (1–)2–3 mm wide, margins involute, apex trigonous, tapering.

clusters 1–2, if 2 then close together, dense, broadly turbinate to hemispheric or lobedglobose;

primary leafy bract linear, stiff, exceeding clusters.

spikelet clusters 3–several, widely spaced, often equidistant, mostly hemispheric to globose, occasionally lobed, 1–2 cm thick;

bracteal leaves much exceeding subtended inflorescence.

light to dark redbrown, lanceovoid, 3.5–6 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales ovate, convex, 3–3.5(–4) mm, apex acuminate, low midrib excurrent or not.

dark red-brown to dark brown, lanceellipsoid to ellipsoid, 4–5(–6) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales elliptic, 3–3.5(–4.5) mm, apex acute, midribs 3, laterals indistinct.

perianth bristles 6, reaching at least to tubercle base, plumose from base to more than 1/2 length of fruit body.

perianth bristles 6, reaching tubercle tip, retrorsely (rarely antrorsely) barbellate.

1(–2) per spikelet, (2–)2.5–2.8(–3) mm;

body redbrown or brown, tumidly obovoid, (1.5–)2–2.2 × 1–1.7 mm;

surfaces interruptedly transversely rugulose;

tubercle broadly conic, 0.5–0.8(–1) mm, base broadly 2lobed, apex often apiculate.

1(–2) per spikelet, 3.5–4(–4.2) mm;

body brown with pale center, obovoid distal to stipe, lenticular, 2–2.3 × 1–1.5(–2) mm;

tubercle triangular-subulate, (1–)1.5–2 mm, at least 0.5 mm wide at base.

leaves overtopped by culm;

blades linear, flat proximally, 1.5–3 mm wide, apex tapering, trigonous.