Flora of North America species comparison

20-80 cm, erect, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, with 3-10 nodes.

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

usually mostly cauline, basal leaves withering at anthesis;

sheaths usually smooth, sometimes scabridulous, ligules (0.7)1.5-7.3 mm, dorsal surfaces scabrous, apices acute to truncate, erose to lacerate, often ciliolate;

blades 6-20 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, flat, lax to stiff, cauline blades as substantial as the basal blades.

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.

10-25 cm long, 2.5-11 cm wide, broadly ovate, open, bases usually exserted, sometimes enclosed in the upper sheaths at maturity, lowest node with (1)3-11(13) branches;

branches scabridulous, capillary, wide-spreading, branching above midlength, spikelets somewhat aggregated towards the ends of the branches, lower branches 3-7 cm;

pedicels 1-7.3 mm, spreading;

secondary panicles sometimes present in the leaf axils.

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, green to tawny.

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

unequal, 1.8-3.2 mm, lower glumes longer than the upper glumes.

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.

1.1-1.9 mm;

endosperm liquid.

1-1.5 mm;

endosperm solid.

-veined, veins scabrous, acuminate to acute;

callus hairs to 0.3 mm, abundant;

lemmas 1.3-2.2 mm, smooth or scabridulous, translucent, 5-veined, veins prominent to obscure, apices acute to more or less truncate, entire or minutely denticulate, usually unawned, rarely awned from near midlength, awns to 2 mm, straight, not exserted;

paleas absent, or to 0.1 mm and thin;

anthers 3, 0.4-0.9 mm.

= 42.

= 42.