Flora of North America species comparison

60-120 cm, stiffly erect, unbranched.

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

basal or nearly basal;

sheaths shorter than the internodes, smooth and mostly glabrous abaxially, sometimes with a line of widely spaced, 0.5-1 mm hairs over the midvein, not disintegrating into threadlike fibers at maturity;

collars glabrous, sometimes with a few conspicuous hairs at the sides;

ligules 0.1-0.3 mm;

blades 15-50 cm long, 0.3-1 mm wide, tightly involute, stiff, yellow-green, abaxial surfaces villous on both sides of the midvein, at least on the basal portion, hairs 0.6-1.5 mm, adaxial surfaces densely scabrous or densely short pubescent.

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, 20-35 cm, 5-8 mm wide;

nodes glabrous;

primary branches 2-5 cm, appressed, without axillary pulvini, with 4-12 spikelets, spikelet-bearing to the base.

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.

widely spaced to crowded.

subequal, glabrous, light brown or tan, usually 1(2)-veined, bifid and awned, awns 1.5-2.5 mm;

lower glumes 7-10 mm;

upper glumes 6-9 mm;

calluses 0.4-0.6 mm;

lemmas 6-9 mm, glabrous, light-colored when young, reddish when mature, column 1-2 mm, not twisted, junction with the awns inconspicuous;

awns (7)10-15(22) mm, subequal, usually horizontally spreading or curving downward, not disarticulating at maturity;

anthers 3, about 3 mm, reddish-brown.

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.

4-5 mm, chestnut brown.

3-4 mm, light brown.

= unknown.

= unknown.