Flora of North America species comparison

erect or ascending, leafy, trigonous, slender.

erect or excurved, mostly filiform, leafy proximal to midculm, obtuse-angled to subterete, wiry.

all exceeded by culm;

basal blades spreading, often curled, distal longer, all proximally flat, 3–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulately tapering.

overtopped by culm;

blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 1–2 mm wide, distally tapering-triquetrous.

clusters 3–5, proximalmost distant, longest pedunculate, fascicles broadly turbinate to hemispheric; leafy bracts of distal groups mostly exceeded by inflorescence.

spikelet clusters 2–3(–4), distant, narrowly turbinate to hemispheric, mostly shorter than subtending setaceous bract.

lanceovoid, (3.5–)4–5 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate to ± orbiculate, cupulate, rounded, 3 mm, apex apiculate to cuspidate, midrib excurrent.

red-brown, lanceoloid, 2.5–3(–4) mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scale elliptic, 2–2.5 mm, acute, midrib excurrent as cusp or aristula.

perianth bristles 6, overtopping tubercle (or at least its base), antrorsely barbellate.

bristles 6, reaching tubercle tip or beyond, antrorsely barbellate, base setose.

1–3 per spikelet, 2.3–3 mm;

body brown, strongly compressed proximally, biconvex distally, broadly obovoid, 1.8–2.2 × 1.5 mm;

surfaces strongly transversely rugose, intervals with rows of narrow, vertical alveolae;

tubercle triangular, flat, 1 mm, base lunate, capping fruit apex, apiculate.

2–4 per spikelet, 1.5–1.7 mm, on setose pedicellar joint 0.2 mm, body with faces red-brown with pale glassy center, decurrent tubercle base;

surfaces smooth;

turbercle concavely triangular, 0.4–0.6 mm, setulose-ciliate.