Flora of North America species comparison

15-60 cm, erect or geniculate at the base, branching at most of the nodes.

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

internodes glabrous;

nodes concealed.

cauline;

sheaths usually shorter than the internodes, glabrous or sparsely pilose;

collars glabrous;

ligules less than 0.5 mm;

blades 3-10 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, flat to folded basally, involute distally, scabridulous on both surfaces, occasionally sparsely pilose adaxially, light green.

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.

paniculate or racemose, 2-11 cm long, to 1 cm wide;

nodes glabrous or strigillose;

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

partly overlapping, often in pairs, 1 spikelet subsessile, the other pedicellate.

1-veined, light gray to dark purplish or brownish;

lower glumes 3-8(10) mm, from 1/2 as long as the upper glumes to nearly equaling them;

upper glumes 4-13 mm;

calluses 0.3-0.5 mm;

lemmas 3-11 mm, light gray to purplish, frequently mottled, midveins scabrous, elsewhere glabrous, scabridulous, or sparsely appressed-puberulent, junction with the awns not evident;

central awns 3-8 mm, coiled at the base, spreading distally;

lateral awns 1-4 mm, straight, erect;

anthers 3 and 2-3 mm, or 1 and about 0.25 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.

light brown.

5-6 mm, chestnut brown.

= unknown.

= unknown.