Flora of North America species comparison

9-85 cm, erect, sometimes decumbent at the base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, usually with 4-7 nodes.

20-120 cm, erect, sometimes geniculate at the base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, with 4-7 nodes.

basal and cauline;

sheaths smooth or scabrous;

ligules 1-4.8(7.5) mm, dorsal surfaces scabrous, apices truncate to obtuse, erose-lacerate, sometimes ciliolate;

blades 2-12 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, upper blades broader than those below, flat.

mostly cauline, sheaths smooth or sparsely scabridulous;

ligules longer than wide, dorsal surfaces usually scabrous, sometimes smooth, apices rounded to truncate, erose to lacerate, basal ligules 1-4.5 mm, upper ligules 2-7 mm;

blades 4-10 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, flat.

2-10 cm long, 0.5-2 cm wide, narrow and spikelike to dense, lobed-lanceolate, bases exserted or enclosed by the upper sheaths at maturity;

branches to 1.5 cm, scabrous, appressed, branching at the base and mostly hidden by the spikelets;

pedicels about 0.4-3 mm.

8-25(30) cm long, less than 1/2 the length of the culm, (1.5)3-15 cm wide, erect, open, broadly ovate, exserted from the upper sheaths at maturity, lowest node with (1)3-8 branches;

branches scabrous, spreading during and after anthesis, usually some branches spikelet-bearing to the base, lower branches 4-9 cm, usually with many shorter secondary branches resulting in crowding of the spikelets, spikelets restricted to the distal 1/2 of the branches and not crowded in shade plants;

pedicels 0.3-3.4(4.2) mm.

lanceolate to narrowly ovate, yellowish, sometimes tinged with purple, or greenish purple.

narrowly ovate to lanceolate, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

generally equal, 2-3.3 mm, 1-veined, densely scabrous, aculeolate on the veins, narrowly acute to acuminate or somewhat mucronate, mucros to about 0.5 mm;

callus hairs to 0.3 mm, usually dense;

lemmas 1.5-2.1 mm, smooth or scabridulous, translucent, (3)5-veined, veins prominent to obscure, sometimes prominent only distally, apices acute to obtuse, veins usually extended as teeth up to 0.3 mm, unawned or awned from above midlength, awns to 3.5 mm, straight, readily deciduous;

paleas 0.3-0.7 mm, thin;

anthers 3, 0.5-2 mm.

subequal, 1.7-3.2 mm, lanceolate, 1-veined, acute to apiculate;

lower glumes scabrous on the distal 1/2 of the midvein;

upper glumes scabridulous on the distal 1/2 of the midvein;

callus hairs to 0.5 mm, sparse;

lemmas 1.5-2.2 mm, opaque to translucent, smooth, 3-5-veined, veins usually obscure, sometimes prominent throughout or distally, often excurrent to 0.2 mm, apices usually acute, sometimes obtuse or truncate, usually unawned, rarely with a 0.4-1.5(3) mm straight awn arising from near the apices to near the base;

paleas 0.7-1.4 mm, about Vi the length of the lemmas, veins visible;

anthers 3, 1-1.4 mm.

1-1.5 mm;

endosperm solid.

1-1.5 mm;

endosperm solid.

= 42.

= 42.