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.

5–7 per culm;

sheaths of proximal leaves whitish;

proximal sheaths and blades with septa few, inconspicuous;

blades 15–40 cm × 4–8(–12) mm.

ca. 8 per culm;

sheaths of proximal leaves green or brownish;

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

blades 42–77 cm × 5–9 mm.

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.

terminal;

rays ascending, scabrous throughout or main branches smooth proximally, rays rarely with axillary bulblets;

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

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.

in open cymes, central spikelet of each cyme sessile, others usually pedicellate, spikelets ovoid, 3–9 × 2–3 mm;

scales usually pale brown, black pigment absent (or sometimes a little beside distal midrib), oblong-elliptic, 1.4–1.8 mm, rounded or weakly mucronate, mucro (if present) to 0.1 mm.

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.

perianth bristles persistent, 6, slender, contorted, much longer than achene, smooth, projecting beyond scales, mature inflorescence appearing woolly;

styles 3-fid.

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

whitish, elliptic or obovate in outline, plumply trigonous or plano-convex, 0.7–0.9  0.4–0.5 mm.

= 40.

= 68.