Flora of North America species comparison

lax, leafy toward base, filiform, ± terete.

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

ascending, exceeded by culm;

blades filiform, to 0.5 mm, margins mostly involute, apex trigonous, tapering.

mostly lax cymes or clusters of cymes, 1–2, sparse, turbinate, branches capillary; leafy bracts setaceous, exceeding proximal cymes, shorter than, equaling or slightly exceeding distal cymes.

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

bracteal leaves much exceeding subtended inflorescence.

redbrown, fusiformlanceoloid, 5 mm, apex acute;

fertile scales lanceolate, 3.5–4.5 mm, apex acute or acuminate, midrib included or shortexcurrent.

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, exceeding tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate, basally setose.

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

1 per spikelet, 2.8–3 mm;

body pale brown, obovoidpyriform, tumidly lenticular, 1.5–1 × 1 mm;

surfaces transversely wavyrugose, intervals vertically striate with narrow, raised alveolae;

tubercle flat, narrowly triangular-subulate, (0.8–)1–1.5 mm.

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.