Flora of North America species comparison

to 300 cm, erect.

30-60 cm, erect or decumbent, occasionally rooting at the lower nodes.

glabrous or scabrous, often ciliate apically;

ligules ciliate;

blades to 30 cm long, 15 mm wide, scabrous.

usually glabrous, occasionally pilose;

ligules membranous, shortly ciliate;

blades 10-30 cm long, to 10 mm wide, sometimes with long basal hairs, usually pilose elsewhere, occasionally glabrous or scabrous.

digitate, with 9-30 evidently distinct branches;

branches 8-20 cm, usually somewhat divaricate, spikelet-bearing to the base, averaging 10 spikelets per cm.

with 5-15, evidently distinct branches in 1-2(3) whorls;

branches 4.5-8 cm, spikelet-bearing to the base, with 11-15 spikelets per cm distally.

strongly imbricate, tawny, with 1 bisexual and (1)2-4 usually staminate, sometimes sterile florets.

with 1 bisexual and 1 sterile floret.

1.4-2.8 mm;

upper glumes 2.2-3.5 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.5-4.2 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, ovate to obovate or elliptic, somewhat gibbous, sides not grooved, pubescence variable, sides usually glabrous, sometimes scabrous or appressed pubescent, margins usually glabrous or appressed pubescent on the lower portions, sometimes throughout their length, sometimes with strongly divergent hairs distally, occasionally with strongly divergent hairs their entire length, divergent hairs, when present, 1+ mm, lemma apices inconspicuously bilobed, awned, awns 1.5-6.5 mm;

second florets staminate or sterile, 2.2-3.2 mm long, 0.3-1 mm wide, similar to the first floret but more cylindrical, not widened distally, inflated, if at all, only near the apices, inconspicuously bilobed, awned, awns 0.8-3.2 mm;

distal florets progressively smaller, longer than the subtending rachilla segment, awn-tipped or unawned.

0.7-1.6 mm;

upper glumes 2-2.7 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.8-3.3 mm long, 0.4-0.6 mm wide, lanceolate to elliptic, sides not conspicuously grooved, mostly glabrous, margins shortly ciliate distally, hairs less than 1 mm, apices awned, awns 6-13 mm;

second florets 0.4-0.7 long, about 0.1 mm wide, borne on an equally long or longer rachilla segment, not or inconspicuously bilobed, awned, awns 3-5 mm.

1-1.5 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide.

1.4-1.5 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide, ellipsoidal.

= 20, 30, 40.

= 40.