Flora of North America species comparison

erect or arching, leafy toward base, filiform, terete, wiry.

arching, leafy, droopingtipped, ± terete, ribbed, slender.

overtopped by culm;

blades linear to filiform, channeled, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, margins deeply involute, apex setaceous.

spikelet clusters 1–2(–3), dense to open, narrowly to broadly turbinate;

branches capillary, variously elongate; leafy bracts setaceous, equaling or exceeding clusters.

clusters of spikelets 3–6, progressively wider-spaced proximally, narrow, elongate; leafy bracts slender, mostly exceeding clusters.

variously brown, ellipsoid, 2–3 mm, apex sharply acute;

fertile scales ovate to nearly orbiculate, rounded, 1.2–1.8 mm, apiculate, convexcupulate, midrib slender, mostly included.

redbrown, lanceoloid, 5–7 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales narrowly ovate, 4–5 mm, apex acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent.

perianth absent.

perianth bristles 6, exceeding tubercle, antrorsely barbellate.

2–3 per spikelet, 0.7–0.9(–1) mm;

body pale, obovoid-lenticular, (0.5–)0.6–0.9 × 0.4–0.5 mm, margin wirelike;

surfaces transversely rugulose;

tubercle buttonlike, depressed triangular, 0.05–0.1 mm, base lunate atop rounded fruit body.

(1–)2–3(–4) per spikelet, 3–3.2 mm;

body brown, narrowly oblong-ellipsoid, flattened, 2 × 0.8–1 mm;

surface strongly transversely wavyrugose, vertically finely striate between ridges;

tubercle compressed, narrowly triangular-subulate, 1 mm.

leaves exceeded by culm;

blades spreading to ascending, narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3.5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.