Flora of North America species comparison

5–8 mm diam.;

scales longer than internodes, disintegrating to fibers.

1.5–5 mm diam.

cylindric, 1.5–2.5 m × 4–8 mm.

sharply trigonous, 0.5–1.5 m × 2–4 mm.

basal;

sheaths often separating from culm, resembling blade, sometimes reddish proximally, front membranous-translucent, splitting, and delicately pinnate-fibrillose, orifice adaxially deeply V-shaped;

ligules entire, 1 mm;

blades 1–2, thinly C-shaped to thin and dorsiventrally flat in cross section, much shorter to longer than sheath, distal blade to 220 × 5 mm.

3–4, basal, smooth;

sheath fronts not pinnate-fibrillose;

blades 1 or 2, thickly V-shaped in cross section, to equaling sheath length.

2x branched, open, plano- to concavo-convex, to 9 cm;

proximal bract usually erect, thickly C-shaped to subterete in cross section, 1–15 cm, margins often scabridulous.

1–2 timesbranched or subcapitate or of 1 spikelet, branches to 4 cm;

proximal bract usually erect, trigonous, 2–7 cm.

5–30, solitary or rarely 2 together, 5–15 × 3–4 mm;

scales light orange-brown to nearly colorless, usually obscurely lineolate-spotted, midribs often greenish, ovate-oblong, 3–4 × 1.5 mm, sparsely reddish- or straw-colored-scabrous distally on awn, sometimes midrib, and rarely adjacent parts of sides, margins ciliate, hairs contorted, flanks veinless, apex obtuse, notch 0.5 mm deep, awn straight to slightly contorted, 0.3–1 mm.

1–35, in clusters or solitary, 5–12 × 3–4 mm;

scales straw-colored to orange-brown or midrib greenish, usually clearly lineolate-spotted, ovate, 3–3.5 × 2.5 mm, flanks ribless, midrib proximally spinulose, apex acute to rounded, notch 0.3 mm deep, awn 0.3 mm, sparsely spinulose.

perianth members 4(–5), brown, bristlelike, equaling achene body or adaxial and abaxial much shorter, sparsely retrorsely spinulose;

anthers 2 mm;

styles 3-fid.

perianth members 4–6, brown, bristlelike, equaling to less than 1/2 of achene body, retrorsely spinulose;

anthers 2 mm;

crest short, spinulose;

styles 2-fid.

dark gray-brown, compressed-trigonous, obovoid, 2.2–3.2 × 1.4–1.9 mm;

beak 0.3–1 mm.

brown, biconvex, ovoid to obovoid, 2–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm;

beak 0.1–0.2 mm.

= 38.

= 42.