Flora of North America species comparison

10-100+ cm.

30-70(200) cm, erect or somewhat decumbent.

usually glabrous;

ligules to 4 mm, erose or ciliate;

blades to 30 cm long, to 15 mm wide, basal hairs to 4 mm, otherwise usually glabrous, occasionally pilose.

glabrous or sparsely to densely pilose;

blades to 30 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, with coarse hairs behind the ligule and on the lower portion of the margins.

digitate, with 4-20, evidently distinct branches;

branches 5-10 cm, erect to ascending, averaging 10 spikelets per cm.

digitate, with 5-9 clearly distinct or easily separable branches;

branches 3-5 cm, with 5-7 spikelets per cm.

strongly imbricate, with 1 bisexual and 1(2) sterile floret(s).

barely imbricate, pale to dark gray, often mottled when mature, with 1 bisexual and (1)2 sterile florets.

1.5-2.5 mm;

upper glumes 2.5-4.3 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.5-4.2 mm, keels usually prominently gibbous, glabrous, or conspicuously pilose, sides not grooved, margins glabrous, scabrous or pilose basally, with conspicuously longer hairs distally, hairs longer than 1.5 mm, lemma apices not conspicuously bilobed, awned, awns 2.5-15 mm;

second florets 1.4-2.9 mm long, 0.4-0.8 mm wide, somewhat widened distally, not inflated, bilobed, lobes less than 1/5 as long as the lemmas, awned from the sinuses, awns 3-9.5 mm;

third florets greatly reduced, unawned and shorter than the subtending rachilla segment or absent but the rachilla segment present.

1.1-1.6 mm;

upper glumes 1.9-2.3 mm, awned, awns to 0.3 mm;

lowest lemmas 2.3-3.5 mm, broadly ovate or elliptic, keels gibbous, sides with a conspicuous glabrous or pubescent groove, margins glabrous or appressed pubescent, apices awned, awns to 6 mm;

second florets 1.5-2.2 mm, widened and inflated distally, mucronate or awned, awns to 3 mm;

distal florets less than 1 mm, turbinate;

anthers 0.4-0.5 mm.

1.5-2 mm long, about 0.5 mm wide, elliptic.

1.3-1.5 mm long, 0.5-0.6 mm wide, trigonous.

= 20, 26, 30, 40.

= 20, 30.