Flora of North America species comparison

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

12-75 cm, erect, with up to 5 nodes.

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.

mostly basal, basal leaves usually persistent;

sheaths smooth or scabridulous, ligules 1.2-6.3 mm, usually scabridulous, sometimes smooth, truncate to rounded, lacerate-erose;

blades 10-30 cm long, (1)2-4 mm wide, flat, culm blades usually less substantial than the basal blades.

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.

8-35(60) cm long, (1.5)2.5-14 cm wide, lanceolate-ovate, usually 3 times longer than wide, open, bases exserted from the upper sheaths at maturity, lowest node with 1-15 branches;

branches scabrous to scabridulous, ascending, mostly branching above midlength, lower branches occasionally branching to near the base, spikelets somewhat clustered towards the tips, lower branches 2-10 cm, mostly longer than 3 cm;

pedicels (0.5)1-3.5(6) mm;

secondary panicles not present.

lanceolate or oblong, purplish brown to greenish.

lanceolate to narrowly ovate, yellowish green to purple.

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.

unequal, 2-3.6 mm, 1(3)-veined, scabrous on the midvein, occasionally also sparsely scabridulous over the body, acute to acuminate;

callus hairs to 0.2 mm, sparse;

lemmas 1.5-2.5 mm, usually smooth, sometimes scabridulous or pubescent, translucent to opaque, 5-veined, veins faint or prominent distally, apices acute to obtuse, usually entire, sometimes erose or toothed, teeth to about 0.4 mm, usually unawned, sometimes awned from midlength, awns to 2 mm, straight, not exserted, sometimes awned and unawned spikelets present on the same plant;

paleas absent, or to 0.2 mm and thin;

anthers 3, 0.5-1.2 mm.

0.8-1.5 mm;

endosperm solid.

1-1.6 mm;

endosperm semisoft.

= 28.

= 42.