Flora of North America species comparison

10-40 cm, highly branched above the base in age;

internodes glabrous or pubescent, sometimes nearly lanose.

45-80 cm, erect, usually unbranched.

cauline;

sheaths shorter than the internodes, glabrous or puberulent;

collars glabrous or pubescent at the sides;

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades usually less than 6 cm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, pale green, involute, glabrous or puberulent abaxially.

basal and cauline;

sheaths longer than the internodes, glabrous except at the summit;

collars densely pilose, hairs 1-3 mm, cobwebby and tangled, often deflexed;

ligules less than 0.5 mm;

blades 5-15 cm long, about 0.5 mm wide, usually involute, occasionally loosely folded, glabrous, light green.

paniculate or racemose, 5-10 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, with few spikelets;

rachis nodes glabrous or with straight hairs;

primary branches 1-2 cm, appressed, without axillary pulvini.

paniculate, 12-20 cm long, 2-8 cm wide;

primary branches 2-5 cm, erect to horizontal, with or without axillary pulvini, with 1-5 spikelets.

appressed.

appressed or with axillary pulvini and spreading.

unequal, 1-2-veined;

lower glumes 4-10 mm;

upper glumes 7-15 mm;

calluses about 1 mm;

lemmas 5-7 mm, purple or mottled, junction of the lemma and awns evident;

awns twisted together basally into a 4-26 mm column, free portions 12-50 mm, those of the central and lateral awns similar in length, curved to arcuate basally, straight and divergent distally, disarticulating at the base of the column at maturity;

anthers 3, about 2 mm long.

6-10(12) mm, equal or the lower glumes slightly shorter, 1-veined, brownish;

calluses about 0.5 mm;

lemmas (6)7-14(16) mm, mostly smooth, mottled, terminating in a 2-4 mm, usually twisted, scabrous beak;

central awns 5-10 mm, sharply curved at the base, spreading distally;

lateral awns absent or to 3 mm, erect;

anthers 3, about 1.5 mm, brown.

5-8 mm.

= 22.

= unknown.