Flora of North America species comparison

to 300 cm, erect.

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

glabrous or scabrous, often ciliate apically;

ligules ciliate;

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

1-1.5 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide.

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

= 20, 30, 40.

= ca. 28, 40, 63.