Flora of North America species comparison

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

internodes glabrous or pubescent, sometimes nearly lanose.

30-80 cm, loosely branched below;

internodes hollow.

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.

cauline, mostly glabrous;

sheaths shorter than the internodes, remaining intact at maturity;

ligules about 0.1 mm;

blades 5-15 cm long, 0.8-1.5 mm wide, usually flat, those of the innovations often sparsely pilose.

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.

narrowly racemose, 10-30 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, often nodding;

nodes glabrous;

lower pedicels appressed.

appressed.

usually 2(1-3) per node, 1 sessile or short-pedicellate and 1 long-pedicellate.

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.

6-9 mm, subequal, tan to purplish, 1-2-veined, acute to awn-tipped, awns 0.5-1.5 mm;

lower glumes frequently 2-keeled;

calluses 0.4-0.6 mm;

lemmas 5-6 mm, light tan to lead-colored, column not twisted, junction with the awns not conspicuous;

awns not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns 10-15 mm, about twice as thick as the lateral awns, reflexed from a semicircular bend;

lateral awns equal to or slightly shorter than the central awns, divaricate and slightly contorted at the base;

anthers 3, 2-3 mm, tan to brown.

4-5 mm, chestnut-colored.

= 22.

= unknown.