Flora of North America species comparison

10-100+ cm.

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

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.

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.

digitate, with 4-20, evidently distinct branches;

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

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

with 1 bisexual and 1 sterile floret.

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.

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.

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

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

= 20, 26, 30, 40.

= ca. 28, 40, 63.