Flora of North America species comparison

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

40-90 cm, erect;

nodes (3)4-7(8), these and the internodes pubescent or glabrous.

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.

glabrous or pilose, midrib of the culm leaves abruptly narrowed just below the collar;

auricles often present on the lower leaves;

ligules to 1 mm, truncate;

blades 14-22(26) cm long, to 6 mm wide, flat, glabrous or pilose, not glaucous.

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.

10-20 cm, open, nodding;

branches ascending or spreading.

(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.

(14)15-30 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with 4-12 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.

usually pubescent, rarely glabrous;

lower glumes 5-6 mm, 1-3-veined;

upper glumes 6-8 mm, 3-veined, sometimes mucronate;

lemmas 7-10 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, rounded over the midvein, backs and margins pubescent, apices acute to obtuse, entire;

awns 1-3(5) mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices;

anthers 2-4 mm.

= 42.

= 14.