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.

12-75 cm, erect, with up to 5 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.

mostly basal, basal leaves usually persistent;

sheaths smooth or scabridulous, ligules 1.2-6.3 mm, usually scabridulous, sometimes smooth, truncate to rounded, lacerate-erose;

blades 10-30 cm long, (1)2-4 mm wide, flat, culm blades usually less substantial than the basal blades.

(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.

8-35(60) cm long, (1.5)2.5-14 cm wide, lanceolate-ovate, usually 3 times longer than wide, open, bases exserted from the upper sheaths at maturity, lowest node with 1-15 branches;

branches scabrous to scabridulous, ascending, mostly branching above midlength, lower branches occasionally branching to near the base, spikelets somewhat clustered towards the tips, lower branches 2-10 cm, mostly longer than 3 cm;

pedicels (0.5)1-3.5(6) mm;

secondary panicles not present.

lanceolate, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

lanceolate to narrowly ovate, yellowish green to 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.

unequal, 2-3.6 mm, 1(3)-veined, scabrous on the midvein, occasionally also sparsely scabridulous over the body, acute to acuminate;

callus hairs to 0.2 mm, sparse;

lemmas 1.5-2.5 mm, usually smooth, sometimes scabridulous or pubescent, translucent to opaque, 5-veined, veins faint or prominent distally, apices acute to obtuse, usually entire, sometimes erose or toothed, teeth to about 0.4 mm, usually unawned, sometimes awned from midlength, awns to 2 mm, straight, not exserted, sometimes awned and unawned spikelets present on the same plant;

paleas absent, or to 0.2 mm and thin;

anthers 3, 0.5-1.2 mm.

0.9-1.3 mm;

endosperm solid.

1-1.6 mm;

endosperm semisoft.

= 28, 35,42.

= 42.