Flora of North America species comparison

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

usually in tufts, stout, 40–100 cm, glabrous, somewhat scabrous distally.

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.

sheaths purplish, not winged, pilose or glabrous;

contra-ligules ovate, rarely trigonous;

blades linear, ribbed, shorter than culms, 3–9 mm wide, rigid, margins and midrib scabrous, sometimes slightly pubescent.

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.

terminal and axillary, fasciculate;

fascicles 3, 15–40 × 5–15 mm, each with (1–) 3–10(–12) spikelets (smaller numbers in shade forms);

lateral peduncles erect, often becoming filiform and pendulous in deep shade forms;

bracts subtending inflorescence leaflike, lanceolate, 3–11 cm, long-acuminate-attenuate, ciliate or glabrous.

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

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

bisexual and staminate (sometimes reduced to few flowers in bisexual spikelets), brown, 3–9 mm;

staminate scales ovate-mucronate to lanceolate-acuminate, pistillate scales ovate, midrib excurrent, often awnlike.

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.

sometimes grayish brown, sometimes with dark longitudinal bands, ovoid to subglobose, 2–3 mm, smooth, shining, apex obtuse;

hypogynium low, obscurely 3-angled, covered with whitish or brownish, siliceous, papillose-spiculose crust.