Flora of North America species comparison

15-60 cm, erect.

14-40 cm, erect or decumbent, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes.

glabrous;

ligules 0.7-1 mm;

blades to 20 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, without basal hairs, glabrous or scabrous, upper cauline leaves often greatly reduced.

mostly glabrous, with hairs to 3 mm adjacent to the ligule;

ligules 0.7-1.3 mm, shortly ciliate;

blades to 15 cm long, 2-3 mm wide, with basal hairs, otherwise glabrous or scabrous.

with 10-20 branches in several closely-spaced whorls;

branches 2-5 cm, spreading, with 14-18 spikelets per cm;

disarticulation beneath the glumes.

with 10-16, evidently distinct branches in several well-separate whorls, and a solitary, vertical terminal branch;

branches 5-15 cm, spikelet-bearing to the base, with 4-7 spikelets per cm;

disarticulation at the uppermost cauline node, panicles falling intact.

with 1 bisexual and 1 sterile floret.

with 1 bisexual and 1 sterile floret.

0.5-0.7 mm;

upper glumes 1-1.5 mm;

lowest lemmas 1.5-2 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, broadly elliptic, mostly glabrous but the keels and marginal veins appressed-pilose, obtuse, awned, awns 0.3-1.5 mm;

second florets 1-1.5 mm long and about equally wide, conspicuously inflated, spherical, with the distal portion of the margins inrolled, not or inconspicuously bilobed, lobes less than 1/5 as long as the lemmas, midveins sometimes excurrent to 1.5 mm.

2-3 mm;

upper glumes 2.8-3.5 mm;

lowest lemmas 2-3.5 mm long, 1.5-1.9 mm wide, elliptic to lanceolate, keels glabrous or appressed pubescent, sides not conspicuously grooved, margins glabrous or appressed pubescent, acute to obtuse, awned, awns 4.8-9 mm;

second florets 1.1-2.3 mm, oblong, somewhat inflated, truncate, not or inconspicuously bilobed, lobes less than 1/5 as long as the lemmas, midveins excurrent, forming 3.2-7 mm awns.

0.9-1.2 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide, obovoid.

1.3-1.5 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide, elliptic.

= 40.

= ca. 28, 40, 63.