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.

15-82 cm, erect, with (3)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.

cauline and basal;

sheaths smooth;

ligules (0.7) 1.2-4 mm, dorsal surfaces scabrous, apices usually rounded to truncate, sometimes acute, lacerate-erose;

blades 3-10 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, flat, becoming involute, or folded.

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.

(5)10-25(36) cm long, (3)4-24 cm wide, broadly ovate, often nearly as wide as long, diffuse, the whole panicle often detaching at the base at maturity, forming a tumbleweed, bases often enclosed by the upper sheaths, lowest node with (3)5-11 branches;

branches scabrous, capillary, flexible, wide-spreading, branching in the distal 1/4, spikelets strongly clustered at the branch tips, lower branches 5-15 cm;

pedicels 0.1-2.5(3.5) mm.

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

ovate to narrowly ovate, greenish or purplish.

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, 1-2 mm, 1-veined, keeled, keels scabrous, sometimes the body also scabrous towards the apices, acute to acuminate;

callus hairs to 0.2 mm, sparse;

lemmas 0.8-1.2 mm, scabridulous, translucent to opaque, 5-veined, veins obscure or prominent distally, apices usually obtuse, sometimes acute, entire, unawned;

paleas absent, or to 0.2 mm and thin;

anthers 3, 0.2-0.5 mm.

1-1.5 mm;

endosperm solid.

0.7-1 mm.

= 42.

= 28.