Flora of North America species comparison

5–15 mm diam.

cylindric, 1–4 m × 2–10 mm.

sharply trigonous, 0.4–1 m × 2–3 mm.

3–4, all basal;

sheaths often dark reddish proximally, front membranous-translucent and splitting, orifice adaxially deeply V-shaped;

blades 1–2, C-shaped to dorsiventrally flat in cross section, usually much shorter than sheath, distal blade 8–120 × 3–7 mm, margins often scabridulous.

1–2;

sheath fronts not pinnate-fibrillose;

ligules absent;

blades absent.

2(–3) times branched, open or compact, branches 6(–18) cm;

proximal bract usually erect, thickly C-shaped in cross section, 1–9 cm, margins sometimes scabridulous.

capitate;

proximal bract divergent to reflexed or rarely erect, trigonous, adaxially channeled, 1–10 cm.

3–190, solitary or in clusters of 2–8, never all solitary;

scales reddish to orange-brown to straw-colored, often variable on same scale, usually wholly or partly straw-colored and prominently lineolate-spotted at 10X, scale or midrib often green when young, ovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, sparsely to often densely reddish or straw-colored spinulose-papillose distally or on most of surface, margins ciliate, hairs long, contorted, flanks veinless, apex acute to obtuse, notch 0.3–0.5 mm deep, awn on at least some scales in spikelet usually strongly contorted, 0.5–2 mm (often broken off).

4–20, 7–12 × 4 mm;

scales orange-brown to straw-colored, central region often greenish, broadly obovate, 3–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, margins ciliolate, apex obtuse to broadly acute, entire, mucronate.

perianth members (4–)6(–8), brown, bristlelike, equaling achene body or sometimes much shorter, rarely rudimentary, spinulose;

anthers 2 mm;

styles 2(–3)-fid.

perianth members 6, brown, bristlelike, equaling achene, stout, retrorsely spinulose;

anthers 0.8 mm;

styles 3-fid (or some 2-fid in same spikelet).

dark gray-brown, plano-convex or rarely weakly trigonous, obovoid, (1.5–)2–3  1.2–1.7 mm;

beak 0.2–0.4 mm.

dark to blackish brown, thickly plano-convex to obtusely trigonous, broadly obovoid, 1.7–2.2(–2.5) × 1.2–1.7 mm;

beak 0.2 mm.