Flora of North America species comparison

ascending-excurved, leafy, ± terete, slender.

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

ascending, overtopped by culm;

blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

spikelet clusters (1–)2–3, widely spaced, open to dense, broadly to narrowly turbinate, branches ascending to slightly spreading, capillary; leafy bracts setaceous-tipped, overtopping all but distal clusters.

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

bracteal leaves much exceeding subtended inflorescence.

light red-brown, ovoid, 3.5–5 mm, apex acuminate;

fertile scales ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acute, midrib excurrent as cusp or mucro.

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, reaching at most 2/3 length of fruit body, antrorsely barbellate.

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

1–4(–5) per spikelet, 2 mm;

body brown, strongly compressed, obovoid-ellipsoid, 1.4–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm, margins flowing to tubercle;

surfaces finely transversely rugose, intervals with narrow vertical alveolae;

tubercle flat, low-triangular, 0.2–0.3(–0.5) 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.