Flora of North America species comparison

30-75 cm, erect.

30-50 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;

ligules short-ciliate;

blades 9-17 cm long, 0.2-0.3 mm wide, without basal hairs, glabrous, sometimes 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.

digitate, with 5-13 clearly distinct branches;

branches 5-23 cm, spikelet-bearing to the base or within 1 cm of the base, averaging 6 spikelets per cm elsewhere.

with 1 bisexual and 1 staminate floret.

dark brown to black, with 1 bisexual and 1(2) staminate floret(s).

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.

1.4-2.3 mm;

upper glumes 2.8-4.2 mm;

lowest lemmas 1.8-4.5 mm long, 0.2-0.7 mm wide, narrowly elliptic, becoming very dark, often almost black at maturity, sides not grooved, mostly glabrous but the margins appressed pubescent, sometimes sparsely so, hairs shorter than 1 mm, apices truncate, awned, awns 3.1-16 mm;

second florets 1.3-3.5 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm wide, not inflated, truncate, not or only minutely bilobed, awned, awns 3.1-12.5 mm;

anthers about 0.6 mm.

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

1.7-2.2 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, ellipsoid to narrowly obovate, trigonous.

= ca. 65, 80.

= 40.