Flora of North America species comparison

(8)15-60 cm, erect from a geniculate base, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, with (2)4-7 nodes.

30-80 cm, erect or geniculate, with up to 10 nodes, basal internodes devoid of leaf bases after anthesis in dry habitats, shoots proliferating from the upper nodes, especially of the innovations, later in the season.

mostly cauline;

sheaths smooth;

ligules longer than wide, dorsal surfaces usually scabrous, rarely smooth, apices usually rounded, acute to truncate, erose to lacerate, basal ligules 0.7-4 mm, upper ligules 3-7.5 mm;

blades 2-10 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, flat.

mostly cauline;

sheaths smooth;

ligules 0.5-3 mm, shorter than wide, dorsal surfaces smooth or scabridulous, apices truncate to rounded, ciliolate-erose;

blades 4-10 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat.

(3)4-20 cm long, less than 1/2 the length of the culm, 0.5-3(6) cm wide, narrowly contracted, dense, oblong to lanceolate, exserted from the sheaths at maturity, lowest node with 1-7 branches;

branches scabrous, ascending to appressed, except briefly spreading during anthesis, usually some branches at each node spikelet-bearing to the base, lower branches 2-6 cm;

pedicels 0.3-3.3 mm.

10-30 cm long, less than 1/2 the length of the culm, 3-8 cm wide, loosely ovate, somewhat lax, somewhat contracted and linear-lanceolate after anthesis, lowest node with (1)2-7 branches;

branches spreading to ascending, sparsely scabridulous, branching above the midpoint, spikelets usually confined to the distal 1/3 and in discrete clusters at the branch tips, lower branches 3-9 cm;

pedicels 0.6-2.3(3) mm, usually shorter than the spikelets, adjacent pedicels not divergent.

lanceolate, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

lanceolate, yellowish green to stramineous or brownish, slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

subequal to unequal, 1.6-3 mm, lanceolate, 1-veined, sometimes scabridulous distally, at least on the midvein, acute to acuminate or apiculate;

callus hairs to 0.5 mm, sparse;

lemmas 1.4-2 mm, opaque to translucent, smooth, 5-veined, veins obscure or prominent distally, apices acute to obtuse, entire or the veins excurrent to about 0.1 mm, usually unawned, rarely with a subapical straight awn to about 1 mm;

paleas 0.7-1.4 mm, veins visible;

anthers 3, 0.9-1.4 mm.

subequal, 2-3 mm, lanceolate, 1-veined, acute or acuminate;

lower glumes scabrous over the midvein, at least distally;

upper glumes smooth or scabrous to scabridulous over the midvein distally;

calluses abundantly hairy, hairs to 0.3(0.6) mm;

lemmas 1.3-1.9 mm, occasionally with hairs on the lower 1/2, translucent, (3)5-veined, veins prominent distally, apices usually truncate to obtuse, sometimes acute, entire or the lateral veins excurrent to 0.6 mm, awned or unawned, usually mixed in the inflorescence, terminal spikelets usually awned, in some plants all unawned, awns to 5 mm, awns arising from the lower 1/3 or occasionally as a minute bristle from above the center;

paleas 0.6-1.1 mm, 1/2-2/3 as long as the lemma;

anthers 3, 1-1.5 mm.

0.9-1.3 mm;

endosperm solid.

about 1 mm.

= 28, 35,42.

= 28, 42.