Flora of North America species comparison

5-15 cm, erect or geniculate.

primarily basal;

lower sheaths densely villous basally, mostly glabrous or sparsely pilose distally, throats densely ciliate;

blades 1-5 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, stiff, flat to involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous and pilose, margins scabrous.

with 3-10 branches;

branches divergent, dimorphic, bearing staminate or bisexual spikelets, spikelets usually reddish or purple.

branches: all spikelets similar;

lower glumes to 1 mm, often reduced to a scale, 0-1-veined;

upper glumes 1/2 - 2/3 as long as the spikelets, narrowly trullate to lanceolate, usually glabrous, veins sometimes sparsely pilose, glumes of the lateral spikelets about 2.5 mm, acute or acuminate, those of the central spikelets about 3 mm, minutely lobed and mucronate;

lowest lemmas to 3 mm, sparsely pilose, with short lobes, mucronate between the lobes;

distal lemmas to 2.5 mm, similar to the lowest lemmas but with deeper lobes;

anthers 0.7-2 mm.

branches: lateral spikelets poorly developed, lower glumes to 1 mm, upper glumes to 2.5 mm, veins pilose, florets greatly reduced, sometimes just a cluster of awns, sterile (rarely staminate);

central spikelets with glumes similar to those of the lateral spikelets;

lowest florets pistillate, lemmas about 3 mm, scabrous, lobed, lobes about 1/4 as long as the lemmas, awned from the sinuses, awns slightly exceeding the lobes;

distal florets staminate or sterile, about 2.5 mm, deeply lobed, awned from the sinuses, awns exceeding the lobes by 1-3 mm.

= 20, 40, 60, and 80.