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1 Pistillate bracteoles absent, or if present then narrower than stigmas and generally not evident at spike surface; stigmas ovate to lanceolate, persistent on mature spikes; pistillate spikes green in flower when fresh, in fruit mostly 19-36 mm thick; carpodia concealed among pistil hairs; compound pedicels on denuded axis 0.6-3.5 mm; staminate scales colorless to brown. | |
2 Pistillate bracteoles present (but generally evident only at 20-30× after removal from spike, resembling perigonial hairs, with brown, enlarged tips narrower than stigmas); stigmas lanceolate, brown when dry; pistillate spikes usually separated from staminate spikes by gap, in fruit mostly 19-25 mm thick; compound pedicels on denuded axis 0.6-2 mm; seeds absent or few; staminate scales brownish; pollen a mixture of tetrads, triads, dyads, and single grains, sometimes mostly single grains. | |
3 Mucilage glands absent from blade; pistillate spikes after flowering medium to dark brown, rarely bright orange-brown | |
3 Mucilage glands usually present on adaxial surface of blade near sheath summit; pistillate spikes after flowering bright orange-brown | |
1 Pistillate bracteoles present, many as wide as or wider than stigmas, evident at spike surface; stigmas linear (to narrowly lanceolate), sometimes deciduous and thus absent from mature spikes; pistillate spikes brown at all stages (or whitish when flowering and fresh) (T. angustifolia sometimes greenish in fruit when fresh), in fruit mostly 13-25 mm thick; carpodia often evident at spike surface among pistil-hair tips; compound pedicels on denuded axis 0.5-0.9 mm; staminate scales brown or straw-colored. | |
4 Mucilage glands absent from adaxial surface of blade and generally from central part of sheath near sheath summit; pistillate bracteole tips darker than (or as dark as) stigmas, very dark to medium brown, rounded (to acute), in mature spikes about equaling pistil hairs; pistil-hair tips medium brown, distinctly enlarged at 10-20× magnification; pistillate spikes medium to dark brown; leaf sheath summits with membranous auricles (often disintegrating late in season) | |
4 Mucilage glands present on adaxial surface of all of sheath and usually about 1-10 cm of adjacent blade; pistillate bracteole tips much paler than to about same color as stigmas, straw-colored to light brown, mostly acute to acuminate, in mature spikes exceeding pistil hairs; pistil-hair tips colorless to usually orangish (or slightly brownish in hybrids), not evidently enlarged, or often with 1 subapical, orange, swollen cell evident at 20-30×; pistillate spikes bright cinnamon- to orange- or medium brown; leaf sheath summits tapered to blade or sometimes with membranous auricles. | |
5 Pistillate bracteole blades much paler than to nearly same color as stigmas, straw-colored to mostly bright orange-brown, usually many acuminate; pistillate spikes usually bright cinnamon- to orange-brown; mucilage glands numerous on proximal 1-10 cm of leaf blade | |
5 Pistillate bracteole blades usually about same color as stigmas, light- to medium brown, usually acute; pistillate spikes usually medium brown; mucilage glands often few or absent from leaf blade |