Flora of North America species comparison

30-120 cm, erect, unbranched.

15-65 cm, erect to spreading, often geniculate-based, sometimes nearly prostrate, usually much-branched.

basal and cauline, pale green, sometimes glaucous;

sheaths longer or shorter than the internodes, glabrous except at the summit;

collars densely to sparsely pilose or glabrous;

ligules less than 0.5 mm;

blades 8-30 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, usually flat, often curled at maturity.

cauline;

sheaths shorter than the internodes, not disintegrating into threadlike fibers at maturity, glabrous or sparsely pilose, hairs on the throat sometimes to 5 mm;

collars glabrous;

ligules about 0.5 mm;

blades 5-14 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, flat to loosely involute, light green.

paniculate, 10-30 cm long, (4)8-26 cm wide;

rachis nodes with straight hairs, hairs to 0.8 mm;

primary branches 6-16 cm, abruptly spreading to divaricate, stiff to lax, with axillary pulvini, usually not spikelet-bearing below midlength.

usually paniculate, occasionally racemose or spicate, 6-22 cm long, 1-4(6) cm wide;

nodes glabrous or with straight hairs, hairs to 0.3 mm;

primary branches 1-4 cm, appressed to erect, rarely somewhat spreading distally, without axillary pulvini, with 2-5 spikelets per branch.

appressed, rarely spreading.

widely spaced to crowded.

1(3)-veined, brown or purple at maturity, acuminate;

lower glumes 6-13 mm;

upper glumes equaling or to 4 mm shorter than the lower glumes;

calluses 0.8-1.2 mm;

lemmas 10-15(17) mm, terminating in a strongly twisted, 2-4 mm awnlike beak, junction with the awns not conspicuous;

awns not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns 5-12 mm, markedly bent near the base;

lateral awns absent or to 1(3) mm, erect;

anthers 1.2-2.2 mm, brownish.

2-11 mm, subequal, 1-veined, acuminate, unawned or awned, awns to 1 mm;

calluses less than 1 mm;

lemmas 2.5-10 mm, gray to dark purplish-brown, often horizontally banded or mottled, scabrous-hispid or glabrous, not beaked, apices only slightly narrowed, junction with the awns not evident;

awns usually unequal, terete and curving up to 100° at the base, erect to reflexed distally, not disarticulating at maturity;

central awns 1-27 mm;

lateral awns absent or to 18 mm, shorter than the central awns;

anthers 1 and 0.2-0.3 mm, or 3 and 3-4 mm.

6-8 mm.

3-4 mm, light brown.

= 22, 44.

= unknown.