Flora of North America species comparison

30-75 cm, erect.

30-45 cm.

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 or sparsely pilose;

ligules membranous, not or only shortly ciliate;

blades to 15 cm long, about 4 mm wide, scabrous.

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.

with 8-10 clearly separate branches, these usually digitate, occasionally a poorly-developed second whorl present just below the terminal whorl;

branches to 20 cm, divergent, basal 2-5 cm without spikelets, averaging 3-4 spikelets per cm elsewhere.

with 1 bisexual and 1 staminate floret.

with 1 bisexual and 1 sterile floret.

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.

2.7-3 mm;

upper glumes 3.5-3.8 mm;

lowest lemmas 3.7-4.3 mm long, 0.7-0.8 mm wide, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, sides not conspicuously grooved, margins glabrous or sparsely appressed pubescent distally with hairs shorter than 1 mm, apices acute, awned, awns 7-11 mm;

second florets 2-2.5 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide, narrowly elliptic, acute, inconspicuously bilobed, awns 4.5-6.5 mm.

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

about 2.3 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide, ellipsoid, trigonous.

= ca. 65, 80.

= unknown.