Flora of North America species comparison

erect, with 2-3 nodes, not branching at the upper nodes;

basal branching intravaginal;

prophylls concealed by the leaf sheaths, winged over the keels, apices bifid, teeth 0.5-3.5 mm.

mostly basal;

sheaths open, smooth, glabrous;

cleistogenes often present, spikelets of cleistogenes 0.5-1 mm long, with thin glumes shorter than the florets, florets unawned or with reduced awns;

auricles absent;

ligules scarious, rounded to acute, ciliate;

blades stiff, involute, apices stiff, brown, sharply pointed, blades of the flag leaves 5-13 cm long, bases similar in width to the top of the sheaths.

panicles, the main panicle terminal, apparently wholly chasmogamous.

with 1 floret;

disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the floret.

exceeding the floret, acute to acuminate, 1-5-veined;

florets fusiform, terete;

calluses antrorsely strigose, blunt;

lemmas pubescent, often more densely and/or more persistently so over the midvein and lateral veins, hairs on the proximal portion about 0.7-2 mm, hairs on the distal portion often longer;

crowns not developed;

awns once- or twice-geniculate, scabrous, persistent;

paleas 3/4 as long as to almost equaling the lemmas, flat, hairy, hairs 0.2-1 mm, veins terminating at or near the apices, apices similar in texture to the body;

lodicules 3;

anthers 3, anthers sometimes all of equal size and more than 2 mm, sometimes 1 longer than 2 mm and 2 much shorter, sometimes all shorter than 2 mm;

ovaries glabrous;

styles with 2 branches, united at the base, stigmas plumose.

obovoid, with 3 smooth, longitudinal ribs at maturity, stylar bases 1-2 mm, persistent, sometimes eccentric;

hila linear, about as long as the caryopses.

= unknown.