Flora of North America species comparison

15-95 cm, erect or decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes.

30-50 cm.

glabrous;

ligules 0.3-0.5 mm, erose to lacerate;

blades to 15 cm long, 0.3-0.6 mm wide, with basal hairs, otherwise usually glabrous.

glabrous;

ligules short-ciliate;

blades 9-17 cm long, 0.2-0.3 mm wide, without basal hairs, glabrous, sometimes scabrous.

digitate, with 7-15 evidently distinct branches;

branches 3-8 cm, more or less erect, averaging 14 spikelets per cm.

digitate, with 5-13 clearly distinct branches;

branches 5-23 cm, spikelet-bearing to the base or within 1 cm of the base, averaging 6 spikelets per cm elsewhere.

with 1 bisexual and 2(3) sterile florets.

dark brown to black, with 1 bisexual and 1(2) staminate floret(s).

1.2-2.1 mm;

upper glumes 2.3-2.7 mm;

lowest lemmas 2-2.7 mm, ovate to elliptic, calluses and distal portion of the margins pilose, hairs to 1 mm, keels glabrous or pilose, apices awned, awns 4-7.7 mm;

second florets 0.9-1.3 mm long, 0.4-0.9 mm wide, slightly to strongly widened distally, inflated, usually glabrous, truncate, awned, awns 5-7 mm;

third florets obovoid to subspherical, smaller than the first, strongly inflated.

1.4-2.3 mm;

upper glumes 2.8-4.2 mm;

lowest lemmas 1.8-4.5 mm long, 0.2-0.7 mm wide, narrowly elliptic, becoming very dark, often almost black at maturity, sides not grooved, mostly glabrous but the margins appressed pubescent, sometimes sparsely so, hairs shorter than 1 mm, apices truncate, awned, awns 3.1-16 mm;

second florets 1.3-3.5 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm wide, not inflated, truncate, not or only minutely bilobed, awned, awns 3.1-12.5 mm;

anthers about 0.6 mm.

1.1-1.4 mm.

1.7-2.2 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, ellipsoid to narrowly obovate, trigonous.

= 20, 40, ca. 50.

= 40.