Flora of North America species comparison

(3)10-50(80) cm, often highly branched above the base.

25-45 cm, erect, branching at most nodes.

cauline, glabrous;

sheaths shorter than the internodes, not disintegrating into threadlike fibers;

ligules 0.4-1 mm;

blades 2-14 cm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, flat to involute.

cauline;

sheaths shorter than the internodes, glabrous or sparsely pilose;

ligules about 0.3 mm;

blades 3-8 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, flat to folded, becoming involute in age, adaxial surfaces with scattered pilose hairs, pale green.

panicles, 5-15(20) cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, often interrupted below;

nodes glabrous or with straight, less than 0.5 mm hairs;

primary branches 1-4 cm, erect to ascending, without axillary pulvini, with 3-8 spikelets.

racemose or paniculate, (2)4-10 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, with few (sometimes only 1 or 2) spikelets;

primary branches weakly developed, to 2 cm, appressed, with 1-3 spikelets.

crowded.

appressed, only slightly overlapping.

unequal, 1-veined, acuminate;

lower glumes 4-8 mm;

upper glumes 6-11 mm;

calluses 0.5-0.8 mm;

lemmas 6-9 mm, slightly keeled, midveins scabrous, junction with the awns not evident;

awns not disarticulating at maturity, flattened and straight to somewhat curved at the base, central rib flanked by equally wide pale wings;

central awns 7-15(20) mm;

lateral awns somewhat shorter, occasionally only 1-2 mm;

anthers 3, 0.3-0.7 mm.

1-veined, acute, awned, awns 1-2 mm, brown to purplish;

upper glumes 10-12 mm;

lower glumes 1-2 mm shorter;

calluses 0.4-0.6 mm;

lemmas 8-9 mm, light gray, mottled;

awns erect to divergent;

central awns 10-15 mm, with 2-3 spiral coils at the base;

lateral awns 5-10 mm, not coiled but often curved and twisted basally, strongly divergent distally;

anthers 3, about 3 mm, purplish-brown.

6-7 mm, light chestnut brown.

= 22.

= unknown.