Flora of North America species comparison

30-75 cm, erect.

to 100 cm, erect.

glabrous;

ligules about 0.5 mm, shortly ciliate;

blades to 20 cm long, to 5 mm wide, sometimes with long basal hairs, otherwise scabrous.

glabrous;

ligules about 0.5 mm, membranous, erose;

blades to 25 cm long, 1-6 mm wide, flat or involute, sometimes appearing filiform, bases with hairs to 7 mm.

with 5-17, evidently distinct branches in 1-3 closely-spaced whorls;

branches to 7 cm, usually erect when young, spreading to reflexed at maturity, averaging 12 spikelets per cm.

digitate, with 2-9 evidently separate branches;

branches 3-14 cm, erect to curving, averaging 11 spikelets per cm.

with 1 bisexual and 1 staminate floret.

strongly imbricate, light to medium brown, with 2(3) sterile florets.

1.5-3.2 mm;

upper glumes 2.5-3.4 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.8-3.7 mm long, 0.6-1.1 mm wide, broadly linear to elliptic, mostly glabrous but the margins appressed pubescent, apices obtuse, not conspicuously bilobed, sometimes shortly mucronate;

second florets 1.4-2.2 mm long, 0.3-0.9 mm wide, usually at least twice as long as wide, not lobed, unawned, occasionally mucronate.

1.6-2.4 mm;

upper glumes 2.3-3.8 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.7-4.2 mm long, 0.6-1.1 mm wide, marginal veins and keels densely and conspicuously hairy, hairs 1.5-3 mm, awns 2.4-5.5 mm;

second florets 1.1-1.8 mm, about 1/2 as wide as long, conspicuously widened distally, laterally compressed, glabrous, truncate, awned, awns 1.5-3.5 mm;

distal sterile floret(s) similar but smaller, longer than the subtending rachilla segments, unawned.

1.7-2.3 mm long, 0.5-0.6 mm wide, ellipsoid.

1.3-2 mm long, 0.8-0.9 mm wide, ovoid-ellipsoid.

= ca. 65, 80.