Flora of North America species comparison

30-75 cm, erect.

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

glabrous;

ligules about 0.5 mm, shortly ciliate;

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

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 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.

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.

2-3 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.

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

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

= ca. 65, 80.

= ca. 28, 40, 63.