Flora of North America species comparison

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

nodes bearded.

60-150(200) cm tall, 2-4 mm thick, robust;

nodes glabrous or shortly hirsute.

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, evenly distributed, glabrous, dark green;

ligules 2.5-3 mm;

blades 12-20 cm long, (3)4-7 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.

9-20 cm, narrowly lanceolate, silvery-white or light tan;

rachises 7-15 cm, with numerous branches;

branches 3-5 cm, shorter than the rachises, erect, without axillary pulvini, with multiple rames;

rame internodes with a membranous groove wider than the margins, margins copiously hairy, hairs 3-8 mm, at least somewhat 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 (3)3.5-4.5 mm, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, shiny green, apices acute;

lower glumes hirtellous on the lower 1/2, hairs shorter than 0.8 mm, lacking a dorsal pit;

awns 9-14 mm;

anthers 1-2 mm.

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

spikelets 1.8-2.8 mm, sterile.

= 40, 60.

= 120.