Flora of North America species comparison

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

internodes glabrous;

nodes concealed.

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, (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.

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.

5-6 mm, chestnut brown.

= unknown.