Flora of North America species comparison

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

65-150 cm, sometimes thickened at the base, erect, unbranched;

internodes glabrous;

nodes concealed.

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 longer than the internodes, usually lanose-floccose, occasionally glabrate;

ligules about 0.1 mm;

blades 10-25(30) cm long, 2-6 mm wide, flat, light green or slightly blue-green, glabrous abaxially.

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.

paniculate, (25)35-70(82) cm long, (2)3-8(10) cm wide;

rachis nodes lanose-floccose;

primary branches 3-12 cm, appressed at the base, without axillary pulvini, ascending to spreading distally, sometimes loose and somewhat flexible, with 4-12 spikelets per branch.

crowded.

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.

usually unequal, 1-veined, brownish-green to dark brown or purplish;

lower glumes 8.7-18 mm, with a keeled mid-vein;

upper glumes 8.4-15 mm, awn-tipped, awns to 3 mm;

calluses 0.5-1 mm;

lemmas 6.5-10 mm, smooth to scabridulous, mostly dark purplish-mottled, slightly narrowed distally but not beaked, junction with the awns not evident;

central awns 12-28 mm, curved at the base, often strongly so;

lateral awns 7-17 mm, at least Yi as long as the central awns;

anthers 3, about 3 mm, brown.

5-6 mm, chestnut brown.

= 22.

= unknown.