Flora of North America species comparison

in tufts, usually filiform, very slender, 35–80 cm, base 1–2 mm thick, glabrous or nearly so, somewhat scabrous toward apex.

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

sheaths purple tinged, scarcely winged, glabrous or minutely pilose;

contra-ligules ovate, quite short, rigid;

blades attenuate, keeled, shorter than culms, 1–2.5 mm wide, usually glabrous or nearly so.

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.

axillary and terminal, fasciculate;

fascicles (1–)2(–3), 10–18 × 4–8 mm, each with 1–5 spikelets, the lateral on long filiform peduncles;

bracts subtending inflorescence leaflike, lanceolate, 3–9 cm, long acuminate-attenuate, usually glabrous.

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.

bisexual and staminate, brown, 3–6 mm;

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

bisexual and staminate, 4–6(–7) mm;

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

brownish gray or with dark longitudinal bands, ovoid, 1.5–2 mm, smooth, shining, apex distinctly umbonate;

hypogynium somewhat reduced, obscurely 3-angled, low, covered with whitish siliceous, papillose-spiculose crust.

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.