Flora of North America species comparison

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

10-60 cm, erect or geniculate at the base, slender, smooth, with 1-2(4) nodes.

smooth;

ligules 0.6-5 mm, dorsal surfaces scabridulous, apices acute to obtuse, entire or lacerate to erose;

blades 2-10 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, usually flat, sometimes involute, sometimes bristlelike, adaxial surfaces scabrous, abaxial surfaces sometimes scabrous.

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.

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.

2-15 cm long, (0.8)1-5.5(8) cm wide, lanceolate to oblong, somewhat open, often contracted after anthesis, lowest node with (1)3-8 branches;

branches scabrous, readily visible, more or less erect, branched mostly at or below midlength, spikelets closely clustered, lower branches 3-5 cm;

pedicels 0.5-2 mm.

lanceolate to narrowly ovate, green to tawny.

lanceolate to narrowly oblong, greenish, purplish, or brownish.

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

equal to subequal, 2-4 mm, membranous, acute to acuminate;

lower glumes 1-veined, scabrous to scabridulous over the midvein;

upper glumes usually shorter than the lower glumes, 1(3)-veined, almost smooth;

callus hairs to 0.1 mm, sparse;

lemmas 1.5-2.4 mm, about 3/4 the length of the glumes, bases minutely pubescent, glabrous and smooth elsewhere, translucent to opaque, 5-veined, veins usually prominent distally, apices blunt, entire, usually awned from near the base, awns 2-4.5 mm, geniculate, rarely unawned;

paleas to about 0.2 mm;

anthers 3,1-1.8 mm.

1.1-1.9 mm;

endosperm liquid.

0.8-1.3 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.

= 28.