Flora of North America species comparison

to 300 cm, erect.

to 100 cm, erect.

glabrous or scabrous, often ciliate apically;

ligules ciliate;

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

glabrous, scabrous, or partly pilose;

ligules erose to ciliate;

blades with basal hairs to 3 mm, otherwise glabrous, scabrous, or sparsely pilose.

digitate, with 9-30 evidently distinct branches;

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

digitate, with 2-9 evidently distinct branches;

branches 5-11 cm, spikelet-bearing almost to the base, averaging 10 spikelets per cm.

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

with 1 bisexual and 1(2) staminate floret(s).

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.

1.2-2.3 mm;

upper glumes 2.5-4.1 mm;

lowest lemmas 2-5.4 mm long, 0.6-1.2 mm wide, elliptic to obovate, sometimes ventricose, usually glabrous, midveins scabrous, sides not conspicuously grooved, margins inrolled, usually glabrous or scabrous, occasionally with a few scattered hairs, especially distally, apices entire or minutely bilobed, awned, awns 1-11 mm;

second florets 1-2.6 mm long, 0.3-1 mm wide, cylindrical to narrowly turbinate, apices obtuse to truncate, entire, awned, awns 0.5-7.5 mm;

anthers 0.7-1.4 mm.

1-1.5 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide.

1.5-2.1 mm long, about 0.4 mm wide, narrowly obovoid to trigonous.

= 20, 30, 40.

= unknown.