Flora of North America species comparison

70-100 cm, erect, mostly unbranched.

30-80 cm, loosely branched below;

internodes hollow.

cauline;

sheaths mostly longer than the internodes, mostly glabrous, summit with hairs;

collars mostly glabrous, sides usually with straight or wrinkled hairs;

ligules 0.2-0.3 mm;

blades 30-55 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, pale yellow-green, loosely involute, lax, glabrous abaxially, with scattered hairs adaxially.

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, 30-45 cm long, 5-25 cm wide, oblong to ovate;

primary branches single or paired, ascending and somewhat lax to stiffly divergent, with weakly developed axillary pulvini, spikelet-bearing to the base;

lowermost branches to 15 cm.

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

nodes glabrous;

lower pedicels appressed.

mostly appressed.

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

purplish-tinged, 1-veined;

lower glumes 10-14 mm;

upper glumes 8-9 mm;

calluses 0.5-0.7 mm;

lemmas 8-12 mm, gray mottled with purple or dark patches, narrowing to a slightly curved and twisted beak, junction with the awns not strongly marked;

awns not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns 10-25 mm, falcate;

lateral awns absent;

anthers 3, about 1 mm, brown.

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.

6-7 mm, chestnut-colored.

4-5 mm, chestnut-colored.

= unknown.

= unknown.