Flora of North America species comparison

sometimes in tufts, erect, slender, 30–50 cm, wiry, glabrous, trigonous, base somewhat swollen, brown.

mostly solitary or few together, stout, 60–180 cm, strongly retrorsely scabrous.

sheaths purplish, wingless, weakly ribbed, glabrous or minutely hirsute;

contra-ligules absent;

blades linear or filiform, shorter than culms, resembling them, strongly keeled, 1–2 mm wide, glabrous or slightly scabrous on margins.

proximal sheaths purplish, winged, strongly ribbed, sparsely pubescent;

contra-ligule triangular;

blades linear, M-shaped in cross section, shorter than culms, 10–25 mm wide, glabrous, retrorsely scabrous on midrib, mid lateral veins, and margins.

terminal, 0.4–1 cm;

fascicles 1, 4–10 mm wide, each with 1–5(–8) spikelets;

bracts subtending inflorescence awl-shaped, 1–9(–11) cm, glabrous, appearing to be continuation of culm.

axillary 2–4, terminal 1, stalked panicles, open paniculate, terminal panicle 7–14 cm with numerous short fascicles 4–8 mm wide, of 2–5 spikelets;

bracts subtending inflorescence leaflike, broadly attenuate, ± equaling inflorescence, antrorsely scabrous.

bisexual and staminate, 4–6(–7) mm;

staminate scales lanceolate, membranous, pistillate scales ovate-lanceolate, acuminate.

bisexual and staminate, few flowered, 3.8–5 mm;

staminate scales narrowly ovate, pistillate scales purple with prominent green keel, broadly ovate, abruptly acuminate.

dull white or often light to dark gray, trigonous, ovoid, usually ribbed with 3 ridges extending from base along angles to apex, 2–3 mm, glabrous, base trigonous, pointed, 6-porose with 2 yellowish, granulose pits on each somewhat concave side, apex mucronate;

hypogynium obsolete, reduced to minute brownish ring distal to pointed base.

greenish to whitish or sometimes mottled gray, shiny, rounded-trigonous to ± circular, ovoid, 3.4–3.8 × 2.3–2.8 mm, smooth, apex rounded;

hypogynium whitish to pale brown, bluntly 3-angled, low.