| root diameter (mm) | (0.3–)0.4–0.8(–1.1) | 0.6–1.3 | 1.6–3.0 | inter |
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| root surface | glabrous | glabrous | with whitish or grey hairs (glabrous when old) | echin |
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| root colour | light straw yellow when young, light brown or grey-brown when older | light brown | light grey with a touch of pink | echin |
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| basal leaf sheaths | scale-like, whitish or grey-brown, rarely brown, glossy or matte, not disintegrating | scale-like, stiff, dark brown, non-disintegrating or more often very slightly disintegrating into narrow strips | scale-like, stiff, dark brown to black-brown, not disintegrating or then very slightly disintegrating into narrow strips | panic |
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| stem length (cm) | (9–)13–42(–62) | 37–45 | (30–)60–140(–165) | inter |
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| diameter of lower part of stem (mm) | 1.0–2.8 | 4.0–4.8 | 4.5–8.0 | panic |
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| diameter of upper part of stem (mm) | 0.5–0,9 | 0.7–1.2 | 1.5–2.5 | inter |
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| cross-sectional shape of upper part of stem | bluntly triangular to round | triangular | sharp triangular | inter |
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| roughness of upper part of stem | smooth or somewhat rough | smooth, rough on the edges | roughly spiny on the edges | inter |
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| length of lower stem leaves (cm) | 6–15 | 2.6–4.0 | 5–15 | unique |
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| leaf top | elongated tip | suddenly tapered tip | suddenly tapered tip | panic |
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| length of leaves of sterile shoots (cm) | 10–68 | 26–35 | 60–90(–100) | echin |
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| width of leaves of sterile shoots | (1.4–)1.8–3.9(–4.0) | 1.4–3.9 | (2.5–)3.0–6.5(–7.5) | echin |
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| height of stem leaf ligule (mm) | 1.0–2.4 | 1.8–2.5 | 1–3 | inter |
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| inflorescence length (mm) | (10–)14–30(–35) | 19–29 | (30–)43–120(–155) | echin |
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| lower bract of inflorescence | missing to rare (but then exceeding inflorescence) | missing to rare (but then exceeding lower spikelet) | absent or rare (but then shortly bristly not exceeding inflorescence) | inter |
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| number of pseudospikelets | (2–)3–6(–7) | 21–46 | (25–)40–105(–180) | inter |
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| type of inflorescence | spike, unbranched | panicula-like, constricted and clustered | branched, paniculate, rarely a spike | unique |
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| shape of pseudospikelet | spherical or ovoid | elongated on the base surrounded by shorter ovoid spikelets | ovoid, spherical at maturity | unique |
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| size of pseudospikelet (mm) | 5–10 x 4–8 | 3.5–6.2 x 1.5–2.3 | 4–5 x 4–5 | inter |
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| arrangement of gender in pseudospikelet | gynandrous | androgynous or sterile | androgynous | panic |
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| shape of pistillate scale | ovoid, pointed | ovoid, pointed | ovoid, blunt or pointed, distinctly keeled | panic |
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| colour of pistillate scale | light brown, with a narrow green central stripe | light brown, with a wide chamfered edge and a light central stripe | brown or dark brown, broadly or narrowly lined in the upper half, with a light central stripe | inter |
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| shape of perigynium | ovate-lanceolate, plano-convex with 1 mm beak narowly winged | sterile, but their shape corresponding with C. echinata | ovoid to inversely cordate, obtusely trigonous, beak 1,0- 1,5 mm broadly winged | echin |
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