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Lip 3-parted above the stalk-like base, the divisions cut into capillary fringes; flowers greenish- or yellowish-white; anther-cells not very divergent, the beaked bases projecting forward; the large glands oval or lanceolate, nearly facing each other; ovary short-tapering above; spurs long, clavate.

Lip fan-shaped, 3-parted above the stalk-like base, the divisions erosely fringed; flowers purple; anther-cells widely separated, little divergent, the orbicular glands oblique; ovary contracted only at the summit; the long curving spur somewhat clavate.

Culms very slender, 6–15´ high; leaves and elongated involucre very narrow; spikelets few to many on the 4–8 rays, linear, acute, 2–9´´ long; scales thin, ovate, acute, closely imbricated, pale brown; stamens 2; achene linear-oblong or clavate, short-pointed, grayish and minutely pitted.

Rather weak, 1° high or less; leaves flat and firm, persisting through the winter, at least twice longer than the culm; a sheathing purple scale at the base of the spike; staminate spike about 1´ long, clavate in anthesis, the purple scales ending in a very short and blunt whitish tip; pistillate spike narrower and mostly longer, the scales more abruptly contracted into a colored cusp and at length deciduous; perigynium obovate, much contracted below into a stipe-like base, very strongly nerved, entirely pointless, hairy above, covered by the scale.

Rather stiff, the culm sometimes curved, 3–10´ high; leaves flat, shorter than the culm; staminate spike prominently clavate, mostly sessile; pistillate spikes 2–3, all contiguous, sessile or the lowest very short-peduncled and subtended by a bract scarcely as long as itself, all oblong or short-cylindric, the lowest about 6´´ long; perigynium triangular-obovoid, the very short beak entire or erose, thinly hispid-hirsute, about the length of the scale.—Fields,