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.

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.

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.

(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.

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, green and slightly to strongly suffused with purple.

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

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.

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.

0.9-1.3 mm;

endosperm solid.

0.8-1.3 mm;

endosperm solid.

= 28, 35,42.

= 28.