Flora of North America species comparison

3-35 cm, usually decumbent, occasionally erect, rarely branching;

internodes glabrous.

5-40 cm, slender, wiry, erect or slightly geniculate at the lower nodes;

lower internodes glabrous, shorter than those above.

smooth, deeply striate;

ligules 0.1-0.2 mm, of short hairs, sometimes with a few papillose-based hairs on either side;

blades 2-8 cm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, flat to involute, adaxial surfaces mostly glabrous, often pilose basally.

mostly basal;

sheaths glabrous, sometimes scabridu-lous, becoming flattened, persistent;

ligules 0.2-0.5 mm, of hairs;

blades 0.7-8 cm long, 0.5-1.5(2) mm wide, scabridulous, margins often with papillose-based hairs basally.

usually with only 1 branch (terminating the culm), or with 2-4 branches and subdigitate;

branches 10-25(40) mm, persistent, straight, arcuate, or circular, with 30-80 spikelets, axes terminating in a reduced spikelet;

disarticulation above the glumes.

3-9 cm, with 2-7 branches;

branches 7-25 mm, persistent, spreading, ascending, or appressed, straight to slightly arcuate, with 8-24(32) spikelets, axes terminating in a spikelet;

disarticulation above the glumes.

pectinate, with 1 bisexual floret and 1-2 rudimentary florets.

appressed to pectinate, reddish-purple;

with 1 bisexual floret and 1 rudimentary floret.

glabrous, sometimes scabrous distally, acute or acuminate;

lower glumes 1.5-2.5 mm;

upper glumes 3.5-5 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.5-3.5 mm, pilose over the veins, 3-awned, awns stout and flattened, central awns 1-2 mm, flanked by 2 membranous lobes, lateral awns shorter than the central awns;

lowest paleas obovate, unawned;

rachilla segments subtending second florets with densely pubescent apices;

second florets reduced to an awn column with 3 awns of 5-6 mm;

third florets, if present, flabellate scales.

bilobed;

lower glumes 1.7-3.4 mm, slightly shorter than the upper glumes, veins excurrent to 0.6 mm;

upper glumes 1.9-4 mm, glabrous or pubescent, hairs not papillose-based, veins excurrent to 1 mm;

lower lemmas 1.2-2.2 mm, glabrous, sparsely appressed pubescent along the veins or densely appressed pubescent for much of their length and on the margins, trilobed, lobes veined, tapering into 3 awns, awns 2.2-6.6 mm, central awns not flanked by membranous lobes;

anthers 0.2-0.4 mm, yellow;

rachilla segments glabrous;

upper florets glabrous, of 3 equal awns, awns 2-7 mm.

0.8-1.5 mm long, 0.3-0.6 mm wide.

= 20.

= 20.