Flora of North America species comparison

erect to ascending, leafy, stiff.

mostly lax, ascending to leaningexcurved, leafy, linear to filiform, terete.

shorter than scape;

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

shorter than culm;

blades ascending, filiform to narrowly linear, proximally flat, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) mm wide, margins distally strongly 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 1–3(–4), proximalmost distant, dense to sparse, narrowly turbinate to hemispheric;

peduncles and branches ascending; leafy bracts linearsetaceous, mostly overtopping clusters.

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.

redbrown, ovoid to lanceoloid, (3.5–)4–5 mm, apex acute;

fertile scales ovate, 3–4.5 mm, apex acute, mucronate to awnedcuspidate.

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

bristles 6, mostly reaching tip of tubercle or beyond, 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.

1–3 per spikelet, (2.5–)3–3.5(–4.1) mm;

body dark brown with small pale center, lenticular, broadly ellipsoid to suborbicular, 1.3–2.1 × 1.3–1.5 mm, smooth, margins narrow, flowing into tubercle;

tubercle triangular-subulate, compressed, mostly 1.5–2 mm.