Flora of North America species comparison

55-110 cm, erect, unbranched.

30-80(100) cm, erect, unbranched.

cauline;

sheaths shorter or longer than the internodes, glabrous, not disintegrating at maturity;

collars glabrous, or sparsely pilose at the sides;

ligules about 0.2 mm;

blades 5-25 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, flat or loosely folded, pale green, cauline leaves usually glabrous adaxially, innovation leaves pilose.

mostly basal;

sheaths usually longer than the internodes, mostly glabrous, throat sometimes with hairs, not disintegrating into threadlike fibers;

collars glabrous or with hairs at the sides;

ligules 0.2-0.4 mm;

blades 10-25(30) cm long, 1-3 mm wide, usually flat, often curling like wood shavings when mature, glabrous.

spikelike racemes, 20-45 cm long, 1-2 cm wide;

nodes glabrous, with only 1 spikelet.

spikelike panicles, 10-25 cm long, 1-3 cm wide;

nodes glabrous or with straight, about 0.5 mm hairs;

primary branches 2-6 cm, appressed, without axillary pulvini, with 2-8 spikelets.

solitary, not overlapping.

9-11 mm, equal or the lower glumes slightly longer than the upper, narrowly oblong, often slightly falcate, tan to brown, 1-veined;

lower glumes occasionally with 1-2 faint lateral veins, awn-tipped, awns about 0.5 mm;

upper glume awned, awns 1-2.5 mm;

calluses 1-1.5 mm;

lemmas 7-10 mm, brown, lead-colored, or purplish, not beaked, junction with the awns not evident;

awns equally thick, not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns 14-20 mm, slightly longer than the lateral awns, strongly curved basally, distal portion reflexed;

lateral awns horizontal to reflexed;

anthers 3, about 4.5 mm, purplish.

10-15(18) mm, brownish, acuminate to awned, awns to 3 mm;

lower glumes slightly shorter than to equaling the upper glumes, 1-2-veined;

calluses 1-1.8 mm;

lemmas 12-18 mm, glabrous, rarely sparsely pilose, terminating in a 3-6 mm twisted column, junction with the awns not conspicuous;

awns 20-35 mm, straight to curved basally, ascending distally, not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns 20-35 mm;

lateral awns slightly shorter than the central awns;

anthers 3, 1.3-1.9 mm.

4-5 mm, chestnut-colored.

= unknown.

= 22.