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.

5–10 per culm;

sheaths of proximal leaves green or whitish;

proximal sheaths and blades with septa many, conspicuous or not;

blades 20–55 cm × 8–16 mm.

5–7 per culm;

sheaths of proximal leaves whitish;

proximal sheaths and blades with septa few, inconspicuous;

blades 15–40 cm × 4–8(–12) mm.

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

rays ascending or divergent (commonly both in same inflorescence), smooth throughout or scabrous at distal end, rays without axillary bulblets;

bases of involucral bracts green or margins brown, not glutinous.

terminal only or sometimes also with 1(–2) lateral inflorescences from distal leaf axils;

rays ascending or weakly divergent, rays and pedicels scabrous near nodes, otherwise smooth, rays without axillary bulblets;

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

aggregated in a few dense clusters of 12–130 (largest cluster with 40–50+), spikelets sessile, narrowly ovoid, 4–5 × 1.8–2.3 mm;

scales black or brownish black with pale midribs, elliptic to ovate, 1.6–2.8 mm, ending in terete or flat awn 0.4–0.6(–1.2) mm.

in open cymes, central spikelet of each cyme sessile, others long-pedicellate, spikelets ovoid to lance-ovoid or subcylindric, 5–10(–12) × 2–3 mm;

scales brown to red-brown with green midribs, ovate, 2 mm, apex mucronate, mucro 0.1–0.3 mm.

perianth bristles persistent, 6, rather stout, straight or curved, longest bristles equaling achene, with retrorse, thin-walled, round-tipped teeth in distal 0.3–0.5, enclosed within scales;

styles 3-fid.

perianth bristles persistent or brittle and breaking off near base, 6, slender, strongly contorted, much longer than achene and often projecting far beyond it despite being strongly contorted, smooth, enclosed within scales or scarcely projecting beyond them;

styles 3-fid.

pale brown or almost white, oblong-elliptic to elliptic or obovate in outline, plumply trigonous or plano-convex, 0.8–1.2 × 0.4–0.6 mm.

pale to medium brown, elliptic in outline, plano-convex or plumply trigonous, 1–1.2 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

= 56.

= 40.