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Support the Flora of the Southeastern US

2024 has been a banner year for making the best flora we can imagine. We've created:
With financial support from people like you, we are aiming even higher in 2025. Together we can accomplish all this: Vote on our 2025 priorities
  • Add Global Conservation Ranks (GRanks) vote
  • Professional graphic keys (polyclaves) to individual families/genera vote
  • 2 new FloraQuest apps: Florida & Mid-South vote
  • Image overlays highlighting diagnostic characters with arrows vote
  • iNaturalist integration in FloraQuest vote
Write-in vote: vote
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Keyed in multiple places:

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1 Apex of perigynium beak terminated by 2 teeth, mostly > 0.5 mm long.
  2 Perigynia > 4× as long as wide (8-15 × 1-3 mm).
    3 Apical teeth of perigynium beak erect; achenes oblong-obovoid or obovoid; at least proximal pistillate scales with 3-5 (-7)-veined center
    3 Apical teeth of perigynium beak reflexed; achenes elongate; pistillate scales with 1-veined center
  2 Perigynia < 4× as long as wide.
      4 Perigynia > (9-) 10 mm long.
        5 Sheaths, at least the proximal sheath fronts, densely tomentose at mouth; apical teeth of perigynium beak often > 1 mm long
        5 Sheaths glabrous; apical teeth of perigynium beak not more than 1 mm.
          6 Perigynia 7-11-, 5-12-, or 12-25-veined
          6 Perigynia 12-34-veined.
             7 Basal and proximal leaf sheaths reddish or purplish
             7 Basal and proximal leaf sheaths yellowish to brown, without trace of red or purple
      4 Perigynia < 10 mm long.
               8 At least proximal pistillate scales with long, rough awn.
                 9 Perigynia with 2 strong marginal veins, otherwise veinless or veined only proximally; leaves not septate-nodulose.
                 9 Perigynia with 5+ strong veins extending length of bodies; leaves septate-nodulose.
                   10 Perigynium beak with apical teeth (0.4-) 0.6-3 mm long, often > 1 mm long
                   10 Perigynium beak with apical teeth < 1 mm long.
                     11 Perigynium body obovoid, widest distally; proximal bract > 3× as long as the inflorescence
                     11 Perigynium body ovoid or lanceoloid or ellipsoid, widest at middle or proximally; proximal bract usually < 2× as long as the inflorescence.
                       12 Perigynium beak 0.9-1.7 mm long; mature perigynia dull
                       12 Perigynium beak 0.2-6 mm long; mature perigynia somewhat glossy
               8 All pistillate scales obtuse to acuminate or cuspidate.
                          13 Culms with some red or purple at base.
                            14 All perigynia erect or ascending; leaves not septate-nodulose
                            14 At least proximal perigynia in each spike spreading or reflexed; leaves sparsely septate-nodulose
                          13 Culms brown or black at base, without trace of red or purple.
                              15 Pistillate scales with 5-7-veined center
                              15 Pistillate scales with 1-3-veined center.
                                16 Leaves not septate-nodulose
                                16 Leaves at least sparingly septate-nodulose
1 Apex of perigynium beak entire, emarginate, or with teeth mostly < 0.5 mm long.
                                  17 Leaf blades variously hairy.
                                    18 Plant brown or black at base
                                    18 Plant with at least some red or purple at base
                                  17 Leaf blades glabrous.
                                       19 Bracts without blades.
                                         20 Leaves < 1 mm wide
                                       19 Bracts, at least the proximal, with distinct blade.
                                           21 Young leaves V-shaped or rounded in cross section, adaxial surface without 2 marginal veins more prominent than midvein or other veins.
                                             22 Perigynium beak with 2 distinct terminal teeth, usually > 0.2 mm long.
                                               23 At least proximal pistillate scales awned, awn at least 1/2 as long as body; leaves conspicuously septate-nodulose.
                                                 24 Base of culm strongly red or purple; leaves 2-4 mm wide
                                                 24 Base of culm brown, without or with only trace of red or purple; leaves 4-15 mm wide.
                                                    25 Distal pistillate scales acute, acuminate, or short-awned, awn less than 1/2 length of body
                                                    25 Distal pistillate scales with awn at least about as long as body
                                               23 Pistillate scales obtuse to acuminate, sometimes very shortly awned; leaves not or only weakly septate-nodulose.
                                                      26 Plants with long-creeping rhizomes; leaves usually not septate-nodulose
                                                      26 Plants with short-ascending rhizomes; leaves at least sparingly septate-nodulose.
                                                        27 Proximal perigynia in each spike ascending or spreading-ascending
                                                        27 Proximal perigynia in each spike spreading or reflexed
                                             22 Perigynium beak entire, emarginate, or with 2 apical teeth < 0.2 mm long.
                                                          28 Perigynia rounded at base, sides proximally distinctly convex.
                                                            29 Perigynia with veins slightly prominent
                                                            29 Perigynia with veins slightly impressed
                                                          28 Perigynia tapering at base, sides straight or only slightly convex proximally.
                                                              30 Perigynia rounded at apex, beakless or with beak < 0.3 mm long.
                                                                 31 Widest leaf blades < 5 mm wide; plants usually not cespitose
                                                                 31 Widest leaf blades usually > 5 mm wide; plants usually cespitose
                                                              30 Perigynia tapering to beak at least > (0.3-) 0.5 mm long.
                                                                   32 Proximal perigynia in each spike spreading at right angles or reflexed at maturity; leaves and sheaths sparsely septate- nodulose
                                                                   32 Proximal perigynia in each spike ascending or spreading-ascending; leaves and sheaths not septate-nodulose.
                                                                     33 Plants usually colonial; perigynia and leaves often papillose
                                                                     33 Plants cespitose; perigynia and leaves not papillose
                                           21 Leaf blades M-shaped in cross section when young, adaxial surface with 2 marginal veins more prominent than midvein and other marginal veins, sometimes apparent only on proximal leaves and on proximal part of blade.
                                                                       34 Perigynium beakless or with beak < 0.5 mm long, entire or with 2 apical teeth < 0.1 mm long.
                                                                         35 Widest leaf blades (usually basal) > 10 mm wide.
                                                                           36 Distal pistillate spikes strongly pendulous, perigynia > 100 per spike; [exotic]
                                                                           36 Distal pistillate spikes erect, perigynia < 30 per spike; [native].
                                                                              37 Perigynia trigonous with rounded angles in cross section
                                                                              37 Perigynia sharply trigonous in cross section
                                                                         35 Widest leaf blades < 10 mm wide.
                                                                                38 Perigynia not prominently veined, veins somewhat impressed
                                                                                38 Perigynia at least slightly prominently veined or veinless except for 2 marginal veins.
                                                                                  39 Perigynia rounded at base, sides proximally convex
                                                                                  39 Perigynia tapering at base, sides proximally straight, concave or slightly convex.
                                                                                    40 Perigynia transversely wrinkled; leaf sheaths sparsely septate-nodulose
                                                                                    40 Perigynia not transversely wrinkled; leaf sheaths not septate-nodulose.
                                                                                      41 Perigynia sharply trigonous in cross section
                                                                                      41 Perigynia terete or with rounded angles in cross section.
                                                                                        42 Perigynia with 2 marginal veins and not more than 10 veins on faces
                                                                                        42 Perigynia with more than 12 veins.
                                                                                           43 Plants usually colonial, not cespitose; perigynia papillose at least faintly.
                                                                                           43 Plants usually cespitose; perigynia not papillose.
                                                                       34 Perigynium with distinct beak > 0.5 mm, usually with apical teeth > 0.1 mm long.
                                                                                             44 Perigynia with 2 distinct marginal veins, otherwise veinless or with very weak veins proximally.
                                                                                               45 Perigynium beak entire, emarginate, or with apical teeth < 0.1 mm long
                                                                                               45 Perigynium beak with apical teeth 0.2-1 mm.
                                                                                                 46 Perigynium beak usually < 1 mm long.
                                                                                                 46 Perigynium beak sometimes > 2 mm long
                                                                                             44 Perigynia with more than 2 veins extending most of length of bodies.
                                                                                                   47 Pistillate scales with narrow, indistinct bodies, scarcely enlarged at bases
                                                                                                   47 Pistillate scales with wide, flat bodies, sometimes terminating in awns.
                                                                                                     48 Perigynium beak entire or emarginate.
                                                                                                        49 Perigynium with not more than 5 veins extending length of body on abaxial face, veinless or weakly veined on adaxial face
                                                                                                        49 Perigynium with > 8 equally prominent veins on both faces.
                                                                                                          50 Perigynia bluntly angled in cross section
                                                                                                          50 Perigynia sharply angled in cross section
                                                                                                     48 Perigynium beak with 2 distinct teeth at apex, usually > 0.2 mm long.
                                                                                                            51 Pistillate spikes, at least the proximal, lax, proximal and middle perigynia separated by internodes at least 1/4 their length; leaves and sheaths not septate-nodulose
                                                                                                            51 Pistillate spikes dense, proximal and middle perigynia separated by internodes less than 1/10 their length; proximal leaves and sheaths sparingly septate-nodulose.
                                                                                                              52 Pistillate scales, at least proximal, awned, awn at least 1/4 of scale body length.
                                                                                                                53 Distal pistillate scales acuminate or with awn less than 1/2 body length; staminate spikes usually 2+
                                                                                                                53 Distal pistillate scales awned, awn usually more than 1/2 body length; staminate spikes 1, sometimes with 1 much smaller spike laterally
                                                                                                              52 Pistillate scales obtuse to acute or apiculate, apiculus not more than 1/10 of body length.
                                                                                                                  54 Culms purple-red at base; achenes with style persistent
                                                                                                                  54 Culms brown at base, without trace of red or purple; achenes with style deciduous