Flora of North America species comparison

10-75 cm, erect or geniculate, with 2-5 nodes.

6-30 cm, decumbent to erect.

basal and cauline;

sheaths smooth;

ligules 0.3-2 mm, shorter than wide, dorsal surfaces usually scabridulous, sometimes smooth, apices truncate to rounded, erose-ciliolate, sometimes lacerate;

blades 3-10 cm long, 1-5 mm wide, flat.

forming a dense, bristly basal tuft;

ligules 0.7-2.3 mm, dorsal surfaces scabridulous, apices truncate to obtuse, often erose, sometimes lacerate or ciliolate;

blades 2-5 cm long, less than 1 mm wide, soon becoming tightly inrolled and rigid.

3-20 cm long, less than 1/2 the length of the culm, (1)2-12 cm wide, stiffly erect, widely ovate, open, exserted from the upper sheaths at maturity, lowest node with (2)3-9(13) branches;

branches smooth or scabridulous, spreading during and after anthesis, spikelets usually confined to the distal 1/2, lower branches 1.5-7 cm;

pedicels 0.4-3.3 mm, adjacent pedicels divergent.

2-8 cm long, 0.2-0.6 cm wide, narrowly cylindric, spikelike, dense, occasionally interrupted near the base, the base often enclosed by the upper sheaths;

branches to 2 cm, scabrous, strongly appressed, hidden by the spikelets;

pedicels 0.5-7 mm.

lanceolate or oblong, purplish brown to greenish.

lanceolate to narrowly ovate, greenish to purplish.

subequal, 1.7-3 mm, 1-veined, acute;

lower glumes scabridulous over the midvein towards the apices;

upper glumes scabridulous or smooth over the midvein;

calluses glabrous, or with a few hairs to 0.1 mm;

lemmas 1.2-2.5 mm, smooth, glabrous, opaque to translucent, 3(5)-veined, veins typically prominent, apices obtuse to acute, usually entire, sometimes the veins excurrent to 0.5 mm, usually unawned, rarely awned, sometimes varying within a panicle, awns to 2 mm, mid-dorsal, straight or geniculate;

paleas 0.6-1.2(1.4) mm, typically at least 1/2 the length of the lemmas, veins visible;

anthers 3, 0.8-1.3 mm.

1.8-4 mm, often 3-veined, midveins scabrous to smooth, acute to acuminate;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas 1.5-2.5 mm, 5-veined, veins obscure or prominent distally, extending as teeth to 0.2 mm, unawned or awned from above midlength, awns to 1.2 mm, usually scarcely exceeding the lemma apices, straight;

paleas to 0.3 mm, thin;

anthers 3, 0.7-2 mm.

0.8-1.5 mm;

endosperm solid.

1-1.5 mm;

endosperm liquid.

= 28.

= 42.