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.

15-82 cm, erect, with (3)4-7 nodes.

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.

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.

(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.

(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, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

ovate to narrowly ovate, greenish or purplish.

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, 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.

0.9-1.3 mm;

endosperm solid.

0.7-1 mm.

= 28, 35,42.

= 28.