Flora of North America species comparison

fertile ones upright or nearly so;

nodes without axillary bulblets.

fertile ones upright or nearly so;

nodes without axillary bulblets.

3–9 per culm;

sheaths of proximal leaves light brown;

proximal sheaths and blades with septa few to many, rather inconspicuous;

blades 20–35 cm × 5–9 mm.

4–8 per culm;

sheaths of proximal leaves green or brownish;

proximal sheaths and blades with septa few, inconspicuous;

blades 13–26 cm × 3–7 mm.

terminal;

rays ascending or divaricate (usually both in the same inflorescence), rays often bearing axillary bulblets, proximal branches smooth, distal branches scabrellous to scabrous;

bases of involucral bracts green, margins usually speckled with red-brown, rarely solid black, not glutinous.

terminal, rarely also with 1 lateral inflorescence from distal leaf axil;

rays ascending to divaricate, smooth or weakly scaberulous near nodes, rays without axillary bulblets;

bases of involucral bracts green or speckled with red or black-margined, not glutinous.

in dense clusters of 4–55 (largest cluster with 15 or more), spikelets sessile, ovoid or broadly ovoid, 2–3.5 × 1.3–2.5 mm;

scales blackish or occasionally brownish with pale midribs, elliptic or broadly elliptic, 1–1.4(–2) mm, apex mucronate, mucro 0.1–0.2 mm.

in dense clusters of 2–20 (largest cluster with 10 or more), spikelets sessile, ovoid or narrowly ovoid, 2.5–6 × 1–3 mm;

scales black with pale midribs, elliptic to ovate, 1.5–2.7 mm, apex mucronate to short-awned, mucro or awn 0.2–0.4 mm.

perianth bristles persistent, (4–)5–6, slender, straight or curved, shorter than to equaling achene, with retrorse, thin-walled, round-tipped barbs in distal (0.1–)0.2–0.4, enclosed within scales;

styles 3-fid.

perianth bristles persistent, 6, slender, contorted, much longer than achene and projecting beyond it, with scattered, often inconspicuous, antrorse teeth in distal 1/2, enclosed within scales or some bristles projecting;

styles 3-fid.

pale brown, elliptic or obovate in outline, plumply trigonous, (0.6–)0.7–1.1 × 0.3–0.5 mm.

pale to medium brown, obovate or elliptic in outline, plumply trigonous or plano-convex, 0.9–1.3 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

= 56.