Flora of North America species comparison

60-80 (150) cm, initially prostrate, usually becoming erect.

8-200 cm, erect or decumbent.

of the basal leaves pilose, upper sheaths usually glabrous;

ligules 1-6 mm, obtuse;

blades 6-30 cm long, 2-20 mm wide, glabrous or pilose.

open;

auricles absent;

ligules membranous;

blades usually flat, sometimes involute, lax.

15-35.5 (50) cm long, 6-12 cm wide, erect or nodding.

panicles, diffuse, sometimes 1-sided, some branches longer than 1 cm.

21-30 mm, with 2-3 florets;

disarticulation beneath each floret;

disarticulation scars elliptic to triangular.

15-50 min, pedicellate, laterally compressed, with 1-6(8) florets;

rachillas not prolonged beyond the base of the distal floret;

disarticulation above the glumes, usually also beneath the florets, cultivated forms not disarticulating.

subequal, 15-30 mm, 7-9-veined;

calluses bearded, hairs 2-3 mm;

lemmas 15-26 mm, densely strigose below midlength, apices acute, biaristate, 2 veins extending 2-4 mm beyond the apices, awns 30-45 mm, arising about midlength, geniculate;

lodicules narrowly triangular, without lobes on the wings;

anthers 2.5-4 mm.

usually exceeding the florets, membranous, glabrous, 3-11-veined, acute, unawned;

calluses rounded to pointed, with or without hairs;

lemmas usually indurate and enclosing the caryopses at maturity, 5-9-veined, often with twisted, strigose hairs below midlength, apices dentate to bifid or biaristate, usually awned, sometimes unawned, awns dorsal, usually once-geniculate and strongly twisted in the basal portion;

paleas bifid or entire, keels ciliate;

lodicules 2, free, glabrous, toothed or not toothed;

anthers 3;

ovaries hairy.

shorter than the lemmas, concealed at maturity, terete, ventrally grooved, pubescent;

hila linear, x = 7.

= 28.