Flora of North America species comparison

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

20-70 cm tall, to 3 mm thick, sometimes geniculate at the base.

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.

usually smooth or scabridulous, sometimes slightly pubescent distally, not pilose at the throat;

auricles absent;

ligules 1-6 mm, densely hairy to ciliolate, acute to obtuse, erose;

blades 6-13 cm long, 6-8 mm wide, flat, both surfaces glabrous, sometimes scabrous.

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.

9-20 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide, dense;

lower branches shorter than 10 cm, 2-4 per node, erect, with 1-2 spikelets variously distributed.

(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.

20-40 mm, usually longer than the branches and pedicels, elliptic to lanceolate, strongly laterally compressed, crowded, overlapping, with 3-7 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.

pubescent;

lower glumes 8-12 mm, (3)5(7)-veined;

upper glumes 10-13 mm, 7(9)-veined, shorter than the lowest lemma;

lemmas 12-14 mm, lanceolate, laterally compressed, distinctly 9-11-veined, strongly keeled at least distally, more or less uniformly hairy, often with bronze hyaline margins, apices entire or with acute teeth shorter than 1 mm;

awns (2)4-7 mm;

anthers 2-4 mm.

= 42.

= 56.