Flora of North America species comparison

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

internodes glabrous or pubescent, sometimes nearly lanose.

20-65 cm tall, 1-4 mm thick at the base, erect, rarely geniculate at the base, unbranched;

internodes often in a sequence of 2 short and 1 long.

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.

mostly basal;

sheaths usually shorter than the internodes, glabrous, remaining intact at maturity;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.3 mm;

blades (3)5-15 cm long, to 1 mm wide, involute, rarely loosely folded or flat, somewhat stiff and arcuate, bases glabrous abaxially, pale 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 or racemose, 10-30 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, slender, lax;

primary branches 3-5 cm, loosely appressed, without axillary pulvini, with 2-5 spikelets.

appressed.

appressed.

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.

usually unequal, 1-veined, acuminate or awned, awns to 4 mm, tan to dark brownish or purplish;

Lower glumes 6-9(11) mm;

upper glumes 9-12 mm;

calluses 1-2 mm;

lemmas 5-7 mm, glabrous, brownish, without a column, the junction with the awns not evident;

awns 8-15 mm, subequal, loosely spirally contorted, but not coiled, just above the base, ascending to spreading distally, not disarticulating at maturity;

anthers 3, 1-1.5 mm, brownish.

3-4 mm, somewhat lustrous, chestnut-colored.

= 22.

= unknown.