Flora of North America species comparison

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

90-150 cm, erect;

nodes 2-4, pubescent or puberulent;

internodes glabrous to pubescent, pilose to densely pubescent below the nodes.

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.

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.

7-13.5 cm, open;

branches erect, ascending and appressed to slightly 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.

20-40 mm, elliptic to lanceolate, terete to moderately laterally compressed, with 3-9(11) 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 glabrous, occasionally scabrous or pubescent;

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

upper glumes 7-11 mm, 3(5)-veined, sometimes mucronate;

lemmas 9-16 mm, elliptic, rounded over the midvein, backs usually pubescent, sometimes glabrous or scabrous, margins pubescent or scabrous, apices obtuse, entire;

awns (4)5.5-8 mm, straight, arising less than 1.5 mm below the lemma apices;

anthers 3-5 mm.

sheaths sparingly to densely pilose, hairs 2-4 mm, occasionally glabrous;

upper sheaths hairy, hairs to 1 mm, collars glabrous or pilose, hairs to 4 mm;

auricles absent;

ligules 1-3 mm, usually glabrous, occasionally pilose, obtuse, erose;

blades 7-24 cm long, 3-12 mm wide, flat, usually glabrous, sometimes hairy.

= 42.

= 14.