Flora of North America species comparison

40-100 cm tall, 1-4 mm thick at the base, erect, branching at the base, shoots becoming thickened and somewhat fan-shaped upwards.

25-120 cm, wiry, erect to sprawling, unbranched.

cauline;

sheaths mostly longer than the internode, mostly or completely glabrous, sometimes pilose, particularly along the margins and at the throat, remaining intact at maturity;

collars glabrous or pilose;

ligules about 0.2 mm;

blades 10-25 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, usually flat, usually lax, sometimes sinuous to curling at maturity, glabrous, pale green, drying brownish.

basal and cauline;

sheaths usually longer than the internodes, glabrous;

collars glabrous or strigillose;

ligules less than 0.5 mm;

blades 5-40 cm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, flat to folded, straight to lax at maturity, adaxial surfaces with scattered, 1.5-3 mm hairs near the ligule.

paniculate, (15)20-55 cm long, 0.5-2(3) cm wide, often nodding;

nodes glabrous, sometimes scabrous, lower nodes usually associated with more than 2 spikelets;

primary branches 1-5 cm, tightly appressed to loosely ascending, without axillary pulvini, with 1-8 spikelets.

paniculate, 15-40 cm long, (8)10-35(45) mm wide;

rachis nodes glabrous or strigillose;

primary branches 5-25 cm, remote, stiffly ascending to divaricate, with axillary pulvini, usually naked near the base;

secondary branches and pedicels usually appressed.

appressed.

usually congested.

5-10 mm, lower glumes from 3/4 as long as to 1-4 mm longer than the upper glumes, glabrous or sparsely appressed-pubescent, 1-2-veined, 1-keeled, tan to purplish, unawned or the awns no longer than 1 mm;

calluses 0.4-0.8 mm;

lemmas 4-8 mm, glabrous, mostly light tan or gray, often spotted or banded, beak not twisted, junction with the awns not evident;

awns 8-25 mm, equal or subequal in length, curved, arcuate, or spirally coiled at the base, not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns sometimes thicker than the lateral awns, erect to arcuate-reflexed;

lateral awns straight and erect, ascending, or divergent;

anthers 1 or 3, 1-1.5 mm, brown.

9-15 mm, subequal, 1-veined, acuminate;

calluses 1-1.2 mm;

lemmas 9-15 mm long, smooth to tuberculate-scabrous, narrowing to slightly keeled, usually not twisted, 0.1-0.2 mm wide apices, junction with the awns not evident;

awns not disarticulating at maturity, unequal or almost equal;

central awns 8-25(30) mm, straight to arcuate at the base;

lateral awns absent or to 0-23 mm;

anthers 3, 1.2-2.4 mm.

3-5 mm, chestnut brown.

6-8 mm, light brownish.

= unknown.

= 22, 24.