Flora of North America species comparison

erect to ascending, narrowly linear, wandlike, terete, leafy proximal to middle.

leafiest at base, trigonous, slender, somewhat stiff.

erect to ascending;

blades proximally flat, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, apex tapering, tip abruptly blunt.

exceeded by culms;

basal blades spreading, blunt, distal ascending, linear, proximally flat, 2–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, subulate, tapering.

terminal, cluster of spikelets crowded, broadly turbinate to hemispheric, to 1.5 cm wide; leafy bracts linearsetaceous, slightly exceeding cluster.

spikelet clusters 3–5 or more, compact, proximalmost widely spaced, turbinate to hemispheric or lobed;

peduncles ascending, branches ascending; leafy bracts setaceous at apex, exceeding compounds, setaceous bracts often exceeding ultimate clusters, imparting bristly aspect.

orangebrown, lancefusiform, 6–7 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales lanceovate, 4–5 mm, apex acuminate with excurved awn to 1 mm.

redbrown, ovoid to lanceoloid, (2.7–)3–4 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3 mm, apex acute, shortacuminate, or notched, midrib usually excurrent as cusp or awn.

bristles 3–4, some reaching tubercle tip, antrorsely barbellate.

perianth bristles 6, not reaching further than fruit midbody.

1–2 per spikelet, 2–2.1 mm;

body brown with paler center, obovoidlenticular, 1.5–1.7 × 1.2–1.3 mm, margins flowing to tubercle;

surfaces finely transversely striate with minute pits;

tubercle lowtriangular, 0.3–0.5 mm.

1–3 per spikelet, (1.8–)2–2.3(–2.5) mm;

body brown, tumidly lenticular, obovoid to suborbicular, 1.4–1.6(–1.8) × 1.2–1.5 mm;

surfaces transversely sharply rugose, intervals of rows of vertical, variously rectangular alveolae;

tubercle somewhat compressed, triangular to shortconic, 0.5–0.7 mm, shortsubulate, basal rim often present.