Flora of North America species comparison

8-80 cm, erect or decumbent, solitary or in small to large groups.

25-60 cm, numerous, somewhat woody at the base, geniculate, branching profusely from the lower nodes;

nodes usually 4-5;

lower internodes glabrous, without a conspicuous, white, chalky bloom.

evenly distributed;

sheaths mostly glabrous, sometimes with hairs distally;

ligules 0.3-0.5 mm, membranous, ciliate;

blades 2-30 cm long (1.4)2.5-7 mm wide, at least some over 2.5 mm wide, flat or folded when dry, usually smooth abaxially and scabrous adaxially, occasionally pubescent, bases usually with papillose-based hairs on the margins.

13-30 cm, secund, with (12)30-80 reflexed branches;

branches (5)10-30(40) mm, deciduous, with (1)2-7(15) spikelets, axes terminating 3-5 mm beyond the base of the terminal spikelets, apices entire;

disarticulation at the base of the branches.

1-3(5) cm, with 1-3(4) branches;

branches 10-35 mm, persistent, ascending to widely divergent, becoming arcuate, dark, with 24-45(64) spikelets, branches terminating in a reduced, needlelike, 2-5 mm spikelet;

disarticulation above the glumes.

appressed, all alike, with 1 bisexual and 1-2 sterile, rudimentary florets.

with 1 bisexual floret and 1-2 rudimentary florets.

unequal, glabrous or scabrous;

lower glumes 2.5-6 mm, 1/2 or more as long as the upper glumes;

upper glumes 5.5-8 mm;

lowest lemmas 3-6.5 mm, glabrous or scabrous-strigose, often minutely rugose, acute or inconspicuously 3-lobed, 3-veined, veins usually extending as short mucros or awns to 6 mm;

central mucros or awns not flanked by membranous lobes;

lowest paleas acute, unawned;

anthers 1.5-3.5 mm, yellow, orange, red, or purple;

distal floret(s) 0.4-3.5 mm, sterile, variable, usually a glabrous lemma having a short membranous base, no palea, and 3 unequally-developed awns, central awns 1.5-7 mm.

acute to acuminate, glabrous or sparsely short-hairy, hairs not papillose-based;

lower glumes 2-2.5 mm;

upper glumes 2-3.5 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.5-4 mm, sparsely to densely hairy, 3-awned, awns slightly shorter than the lemma bodies, central awns flanked by 2 membranous lobes;

lowest paleas about 4.5 mm, mostly glabrous, sometimes puberulent distally, acute to acuminate, veins not excurrent, unawned;

second florets about 4.5 mm, 3-awned, awns 3-5 mm;

rachilla segments subtending second florets with densely pubescent apices;

third florets, if present, flabellate scales, 1-awned.

1-1.2 mm long, about 0.4 mm wide.

0.1-0.2 mm, of hairs;

blades 2-7 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, mostly flat but the tips involute.

= (20), 40, 41-103.

= 40.