Flora of North America species comparison

35-115(130) cm tall, usually less than 2 mm thick, erect or geniculate at the base, branched at maturity;

nodes shortly hirsute, pilose with erect hairs, or glabrous.

35-65 cm, slender, stiffly erect, rarely geniculate;

lower nodes shortly hairy, hairs shorter than 3 mm, usually off-white and ascending;

upper nodes glabrous or glabrate.

usually basal (sometimes cauline on robust plants), usually glaucous;

ligules 1-3 mm;

blades 5-25 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, flat to folded, mostly glabrous.

mostly basal, glaucous;

ligules 1-1.5 mm;

blades 10-25 cm long, 1-2(3.5) mm wide, flat to rolled, with 3-7 mm hairs below the middle.

4-12(14) cm, narrowly oblong or lanceolate, silvery-white or light tan;

rachises 4-8 cm, with more than 10 branches;

branches 1-5.5 cm, erect-appressed, rarely with axillary pulvini, lower branches shorter than the rachises, usually with more than 1 rame;

rame internodes with a groove wider than the margins, margins copiously hairy, hairs 3-9 mm, at least somewhat obscuring the spikelets.

6-12 cm, loose, fan-shaped;

rachises shorter than 5 cm, with 3-6 branches;

branches longer than the rachises, not rebranched, with 1 rame;

rame internodes with 3-5 mm marginal hairs.

spikelets 2.5-4.5 mm, ovate, somewhat glaucous, apices blunt;

lower glumes glabrous or hirtellous, rarely with a dorsal pit;

awns 8-16 mm;

anthers 0.6-1.4 mm.

spikelets 5-8 mm, lanceolate;

lower glumes 5.5-7 mm, glabrous, shiny, with a deep dorsal pit, tapering to a narrow, slightly bifid apex;

awns 20-28 mm;

anthers 0.5-1 mm.

spikelets 1.5-2.5(3.5) mm, shorter than the sessile spikelets, sterile.

spikelets 2.5-3.5 mm, sterile.

= 60.

= 60.