Flora of North America species comparison

10–15 mm diam.

2–6 mm diam.;

scales much shorter than internodes, disintegrating to fibers.

bluntly trigonous with nearly flat sides throughout to cylindric proximally, obscurely trigonous distally, 1–4 m × 4–10 mm, smooth.

sharply trigonous, sides convex to flat near base, concave distally, 0.7–2.3 m × 2.5–6 mm, smooth.

3–4, basal, ca. 1/6 culm length;

sheath fronts coarsely pinnate-fibrillose;

blades 0–1, dorsiventrally flat, not more than 1/2 sheath length, distal blade to 20 × 2 mm.

3–5, basal;

sheath fronts not pinnate-fibrillose;

blades 2–3, proximally V-shaped, distally trigonous to asymmetrically laterally flattened in cross section, angles distally scabridulous;

distal blade 1–1.5 times as long as sheath, 9–30 cm × 2–7 mm.

3 or more times branched, branches to 21 cm;

proximal bract usually erect, obtusely trigonous to subcylindric-channeled, 1–8 cm, margins often scabridulous.

capitate or rarely with 1–2 branches to 5 mm;

proximal bract usually erect, resembling leaf blade, trigonous proximally, (1–)3–20 cm.

25–150+, solitary and in clusters of 2 or more, 5–11 × 3 mm;

scales orange-brown, brightly lineolate-spotted, broadly oval, 2.5 × 2 mm, margins ciliolate, flanks veinless, apex rounded, notch 0.1–0.2 mm deep, awn not contorted, usually bent outward, 0.3 mm, sparsely scabrous.

3–35, 6–15 × 4–5 mm;

scales bright orange-brown or partly purplish, ovate, 3.5–5.5 × 2–3 mm, smooth or awn sparsely spinulose, margins deciduously ciliolate, flanks of proximal scale sometimes with a few ribs, midrib prominent, apex acute, notch 0.6–1 mm deep, awn irregularly bent, 1–1.5 mm.

perianth members 2–4, dark red-brown, thickly strap-shaped or trigonous, equaling achenes, fringed with brownish, soft, blunt hairs;

anthers 1.5 mm;

styles 2-fid.

perianth members 3–6, orange-brown, bristlelike, very slender, some equaling achene, some often rudimentary, retrorsely spinulose;

anthers 2–3 mm;

styles 2-fid.

dark gray-brown when ripe, unequally biconvex or plano-convex, ovoid to obovoid, 1.8–2.2 × 1.3 mm;

beak 0.2 mm.

brown, unequally biconvex, obovoid to obpyriform, 1.9–2.6 × 1.3–1.7 mm;

beak 0.1–0.3 mm.

= 68.

= 78.