Flora of North America species comparison

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

35-100 cm, erect or geniculate near the base, 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.

densely pubescent;

auricles absent;

ligules 2-2.5 mm, glabrous, acute, lacerate;

blades 4-20 cm long, 1-6 mm wide, pubescent 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.

10-20 cm long, 5-12 cm wide, open;

branches 2-10 cm, spreading, ascending or drooping, rarely with more than 3 spikelets.

(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.

20-35 mm, usually shorter than the panicle branches, sides parallel or diverging distally, moderately laterally compressed, with 5-9 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.

smooth or scabrous, margins hyaline;

lower glumes 6-14 mm, 1(3)-veined;

upper glumes 10-20 mm, 3(5)-veined;

lemmas 14-20 mm, narrowly lanceolate, pubescent or puberulent, 7(9)-veined, rounded over the midvein, margins hyaline, apices acuminate, bifid, teeth 1-3 mm;

awns 15-30 mm, straight, arising 1.5 mm or more below the lemma apices;

anthers 1-1.4 mm.

= 42.

= 14,28.