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.

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

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.

(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.

10-25 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.

lanceolate, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

lanceolate to narrowly ovate, green to tawny.

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

0.9-1.3 mm;

endosperm solid.

1.1-1.9 mm;

endosperm liquid.

-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.

= 28, 35,42.

= 42.