Flora of North America species comparison

3–10 mm diam.

cylindric, 0.5–3 m × 2–10 mm.

proximally bluntly and distally sharply trigonous, 0.6–2 m × 3–5 mm.

3–4, basal;

sheath fronts membranous-translucent, often pinnate-fibrillose;

blades 1–2, C-shaped to dorsiventrally flat in cross section, usually much shorter than sheath, distal blade 2–200 × 1–4 mm, margins often scabridulous.

5–20+, nearly equaling culm;

sheath fronts delicately pinnate-fibrillose;

blades 2–6+, smooth;

distal blade longer than sheath, 2–10 mm wide, smooth;

emergent blades stiff, cross section thickly V-shaped to trigonous near ligule, central region acutely trigonous and laterally flattened, distal region laterally flattened, apex often asymmetric; submerged blades often flaccid, ribbonlike.

2–4 times branched, branches to 15(–25) cm;

proximal bract usually erect, thickly C-shaped to subterete, 1–8 cm, margins sometimes scabridulous.

2–3 times branched, 2–3 proximal internodes elongated, branches to 16 cm;

proximal bract erect, resembling emergent leaf blade, 7–32 cm.

15–200, solitary or in clusters of 2–4(–7), commonly all solitary, 3–17 × 2.5–4 mm;

scales uniformly dark to pale orange-brown, sometimes straw-colored, sometimes prominently lineolate-spotted, midrib often pale or green, ovate, 2–3.5 × 1.5–2 mm, sparsely (rarely densely) reddish or straw-colored, scabrous on awn and distal parts of midrib and sometimes flanks, margins ciliate, hairs contorted;

flanks veinless, apex obtuse to rounded, notch 0.2–0.3 mm deep, awn straight or bent, 0.2–0.8 mm.

3–20, 10–25 × 5–6 mm;

scales straw-colored to orange-brown or flanks red, central region usually greenish, aging brown, ovate-lanceolate, 5–7 × 3 mm, smooth, margins sometimes ciliolate at 40X, apex acute, entire, mucro to 0.2 mm.

perianth bristles 6, brown, ± equaling achene, densely retrorsely spinulose;

anthers 2 mm;

styles 2-fid, sometimes 3-fid near spikelet apex.

perianth bristles 6, medium brown to reddish, equaling achene, sparsely spinulose;

anthers 3–3.5 mm;

styles 3-fid.

dark gray-brown when ripe, plano-convex, obovoid, 1.5–2.8 × 1.2–1.7 mm;

beak 0.2–0.4 mm.

medium brown, ovoid to obovoid, compressed-trigonous, 3–4.5 × 1.7–2 mm;

beak 0.7–2 mm.

= 42.