Flora of North America species comparison

30-120 cm tall, 2-4 mm thick, erect or decumbent.

40-130 cm tall, 3-7 mm thick, often decumbent.

usually densely, often retrorsely, hairy, hairs sometimes confined to the throat;

auricles absent;

ligules 1-4 mm, glabrous or pilose, obtuse, lacerate to erose;

blades 4-30 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, flat, glabrous or hairy on both surfaces.

coarsely striate, pilose, hairs sparse to moderately dense, throats pilose;

auricles rarely present;

ligules 3.5-5 mm, usually glabrous, occasionally pubescent, lacerate;

blades 13-35 cm long, 6-15 mm wide, flat, usually sparsely to moderately pilose on both surfaces, sometimes glabrous.

9-28 cm, usually open, erect or nodding;

lower branches shorter than 10 cm, 1-4 per node, spreading or ascending, with up to 5 spikelets variously distributed.

10-28 cm, erect, open or somewhat contracted;

lower branches to 10 cm, 1-2 per node, stiffly ascending, with (1)2-3 spikelets on the distal 72, sometimes confined to the tips.

(17)20-40 mm, shorter than at least some pedicels and branches, elliptic to lanceolate, strongly laterally compressed, not crowded or overlapping, with 4-12 florets.

25-40 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, strongly laterally compressed, with 3-6 florets.

smooth or scabrous, glabrous or pubescent;

lower glumes 7-12 mm, 5-7(9)-veined;

upper glumes 9-17 mm, 7-9(11)-veined, shorter than the lowest lemma;

lemmas 11-20 mm, lanceolate, laterally compressed, strongly keeled, usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent distally, smooth or scabrous, 9-13-veined, veins often raised and riblike, margins sometimes conspicuous, hyaline, whitish or partly purplish, apices entire or toothed, teeth acute, shorter than 1 mm;

awns absent or to 10 mm;

anthers 0.5-1 mm in cleistogamous florets, 2-5 mm in chasmogamous florets.

glabrous or pubescent;

lower glumes 9-13 mm, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes 10-15 mm, 7(9)-veined;

lemmas 12-17 mm, lanceolate, laterally compressed, usually softly pubescent, sometimes glabrous, strongly keeled at least distally, 9(11)-veined, veins conspicuous distally, apices entire or with acute teeth shorter than 1 mm;

awns (3)5-10 mm;

anthers 2.2-4.2 mm.

= 42.

= 56.