Flora of North America species comparison

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

(60)70-100 cm, stiffly erect, unbranched.

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, mostly glabrous, summit with hairs;

collars hispid, hairs 0.2-0.8 mm;

ligules less than 0.5 mm;

blades 20-55 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, light bluish-green, flat to loosely folded, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially.

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, 30-50 cm long, 15-25 cm wide;

rachis nodes glabrous or with straight hairs shorter than 0.5 mm;

primary branches 8-22 cm, ascending to divaricate or drooping, with axillary pulvini, basal portion without spikelets.

crowded.

appressed along the branches.

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.

brown to purplish, 1-veined, with a 1-2 mm awn;

lower glumes 10-13 mm, slightly longer than the upper glumes;

calluses 0.5-1 mm;

lemmas 10-12(15) mm, glabrous, light gray to brownish, narrowing to a beak, beak less than 7 mm, not or only slightly twisted, junction with the awns not conspicuous;

awns unequal, not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns 20-25 mm, straight;

lateral awns 3-10 mm, to 1/2 as long as and about 1/2 as thick as the central awns, usually divergent;

anthers 3, about 3 mm, yellow-green.

about 8 mm.

= 22.

= unknown.