Flora of North America species comparison

30-200 cm, basal internodes occasionally globose.

open, not overlapping;

auricles absent;

ligules membranous, sometimes ciliate;

blades flat or convolute.

terminal, narrow panicles;

branches spreading until after anthesis, then becoming loosely appressed to the rachises.

pedicellate, laterally compressed, with 2 florets, lower florets staminate, upper florets pistillate or bisexual, a rudimentary floret occasionally present distally;

rachillas pubescent;

disarticulation above the glumes, the florets usually falling together, rarely falling separately.

unequal, hyaline, unawned;

lower glumes less than 3/4 the length of the upper glumes, 1- or 3-veined;

upper glumes 3-veined;

calluses short, blunt, pubescent;

lower lemmas membranous, 3-7-veined, acute, awned below midlength, awns twisted and geniculate;

upper lemmas membranous to subcoriacous, glabrous or hairy, 7-veined, acute, usually unawned, sometimes awned from near the apices, awns short, straight, rarely awned similarly to the lower lemmas;

paleas subequal to the lemmas, 2-veined, 2-keeled, keels scabrous or hairy, apices notched;

lodicules 2, free, linear, membranous, glabrous, entire;

anthers 3, 3.4-6.5 mm;

ovaries pubescent.

shorter than the lemmas, concealed at maturity, not grooved, dorsally compressed to terete, hairy;

hila long-linear, x = 7.