Flora of North America species comparison

slender, ± filiform, leafy, terete to bluntly trigonous.

erect or ascending, leafy, nearly terete or obscurely angular, many-ribbed, stiff.

shorter than culm;

blades spreading to ascending, ± filiform, proximally flat, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm, apex tapering, trigonous.

exceeding or exceeded by inflorescences;

blades linear, proximally flat, 1–5 mm wide, apex trigonous, tapering.

spikelet clusters 1–3, loose to dense, widely spaced to close together, turbinate to hemispheric; leafy bracts setaceous, mostly exceeding spikelet clusters.

terminal and axillary, clusters of corymbs 1–5, diffuse, branches ascending to divaricate; leafy bracts much exceeding axillary corymbs.

dark redbrown, lanceovoid, 2.5–3.5(–4) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales ovate, 2–3.5 mm, apex acute or acuminate, rarely minutely awned.

redbrown to dark brown, ovoidlanceoloid, 3–6(–7) mm, apex acute;

fertile scales several, narrowly ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm, apex narrowly acute;

midrib included or shortexcurrent.

bristles 6, of various length, mostly extending from fruit midbody to tubercle base, antrorsely barbellate.

perianth absent.

1–2 per spikelet, (2–)2–2.5 mm;

body brown with pale center, lenticular, broadly ellipsoid, 1.5–1.7 × 1.2–1.3 mm, surfaces nearly smooth or very finely cancellate;

tubercle flat, triangular with short-oblong, blunttipped nose, or triangularsubulate, 0.5–0.8 mm.

1.3–1.5 mm;

body brown to blackish, tumidly lenticular, nearly orbicular, 0.6–1 × 0.6–1 mm, margins distinct, narrow, flowing into base of tubercle;

tubercle flat, narrowly triangular, at least 0.5 mm high, base broadly 2-lobed, apex acuminate.