Flora of North America species comparison

to 100 cm, often decumbent or stoloniferous, freely branching;

nodes bearded.

40-150 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous, uppermost node often concealed within the sheaths.

mostly basal, green, sometimes glaucous;

sheaths glabrous, keeled;

ligules 0.7-1.5 mm;

blades 3-15 cm long, 3-4 mm wide, flat, margins and ligule regions hairy.

cauline, mostly glabrous;

sheaths with a white, powdery bloom;

ligules 1-2.2 mm;

blades 10-20 cm long, 3-6(8) mm wide, flat to folded.

3-5 cm, fan-shaped, often purplish;

rachises 0.2-2 cm, with 3-8 branches;

branches 3-4.5 cm, longer than the rachises, usually with 1 rame;

rame internodes with villous margins, with 1-3 mm hairs.

4.5-15 cm, lanceolate;

rachises with numerous branches;

branches shorter than the rachises, erect-appressed, lacking axillary pulvini;

rame internodes with a central groove about as wide as the margins, margins densely villous, hairs 4-6 mm, obscuring the spikelets.

spikelets 3-4 mm, lanceolate;

callus hairs about 1 mm;

lower glumes sparsely hirtellous, with a prominent dorsal pit near the middle;

awns 10-17 mm;

anthers 1-1.8 mm, yellow.

spikelets 2.5-4 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, narrowly ovate;

lower glumes glabrous or sparsely short-pilose, lacking a dorsal pit;

awns absent or to 6 mm;

anthers 0.5-1.5 mm.

spikelets the same size as the sessile spikelets, sterile, pitted or not, occasionally with 2 pits.

spikelets shorter than the sessile spikelets, sterile.

= 40, 60.

= 60.