Flora of North America species comparison

45-120(180) cm tall, usually less than 3 mm thick, erect.

90-150 cm, erect;

nodes 1-2(3), pubescent or puberulent;

internodes usually puberulent, occasionally glabrous, pilose to densely pubescent below the nodes.

mostly glabrous or retrorsely soft pilose, throats usually hairy;

auricles sometimes present on the lower leaves;

ligules 1-3.5(4) mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy, acute to obtuse, lacerate or erose;

blades 8-30 cm long, 1-12 mm wide, flat or becoming involute, glabrous or sparsely pilose to pubescent on 1 or both surfaces.

densely pubescent to pilose, hairs to 1 mm, collars pilose, hairs to 2 mm;

auricles absent;

ligules 0.5-2.5 mm long, sparsely to densely pubescent, obtuse, erose;

blades 7.5-16.5 cm long, 3-12 mm wide, flat, densely pubescent on both surfaces.

5-40 cm, lax, open or erect;

lower branches usually shorter than 10 cm, 1-4 per node, ascending to strongly divergent or reflexed, with 1-4 spikelets variously distributed.

5-16 cm, open;

branches erect, ascending and appressed to slightly spreading.

20-40 mm, shorter than at least some pedicels and branches, elliptic to lanceolate, strongly laterally compressed, not crowded or overlapping, sometimes purplish, with 4-11 florets.

25-35(45) mm, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with 3-7 florets.

glabrous or pubescent;

lower glumes 7-11 mm, 3-7(9)-veined;

upper glumes 9-13 mm, shorter than the lowest lemma, 5-9(11)-veined;

lemmas 10-16(17) mm, lanceolate, laterally compressed, strongly keeled distally, usually more or less uniformly pubescent or pubescent on the margins only, sometimes glabrous or scabrous, 7-9-veined, veins usually not raised or riblike, apices entire or with acute teeth shorter than 1 mm;

awns 4-17 mm, sometimes slightly geniculate;

anthers 1-6 mm.

sparsely to densely pubescent;

lower glumes 5-8(9) mm, 1(3)-veined;

upper glumes (7)8-9 mm, 3-veined, sometimes mucronate;

lemmas 10-14 mm, elliptic, rounded over the midvein, backs sparsely to densely pubescent, margins pubescent, apices entire;

awns 3.5-7 mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices;

anthers 3-6 mm.

= 28, 42, 56.

= unknown.