Flora of North America species comparison

50-140 cm, stout, pilose with papillose-based hairs to subglabrous;

fall phase branching from the mid- and upper culm nodes, with a few, nearly erect, elongate branches, sparsely rebranching, sheaths overlapping, concealing the secondary panicles;

nodes not swollen, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

5-45 cm tall, 0.2-0.8 mm thick, erect, often purplish;

nodes glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

internodes often ascending-pubescent below;

fall phase branching extensively from the basal nodes, usually forming very dense cushions.

5-10;

sheaths not overlapping, striate-ribbed, narrowing above midlength, hispid to sparsely hirsute, hairs sometimes papillose-based, summits mottled with pale spots, margins ciliate, collars puberulent;

ligules 0.4-0.9 mm, membranous;

blades 10-25 cm long, 15-30 mm wide, flat, lanceolate, often rigid, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, with 9-13 major veins and 40-80 minor veins, bases cordate, with papillose-based cilia, apices acuminate.

3-5;

sheaths mostly shorter than the internodes, often purplish, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, margins often sparsely ciliate;

ligules 0.2-0.5 mm, of hairs, without adjacent pseudoligules;

blades 2-5 cm long (rarely longer), 1-4 mm wide, flat or involute, rather firm, ascending, often purplish, usually glabrous on both surfaces, bases subcordate, often with a few long, stiff cilia, margins narrowly white, cartilaginous, and scabridulous, blades of the flag leaves only slightly shorter than those of the lower leaves.

2.4-3.6 mm long, 1.2-1.5 mm wide, narrowly ellipsoid, sparsely pubescent.

1.1-1.5 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, broadly ellipsoid or obovoid, often purple-tinged, glabrous or puberulent, obtuse or subacute.

1/3 – 1/2 as long as the spikelets, narrowly triangular;

upper glumes and lower florets slightly shorter than the spikelets, with 7 or 9 prominent veins;

lower florets sterile;

upper florets umbonate, apices with a minute tuft of hairs.

approximately 1/3 as long as the spikelets, broadly acute or obtuse;

upper glumes and lower lemmas subequal or the glumes slightly shorter than the lemmas;

lower florets sterile;

upper florets 0.9-1.2 mm, ellipsoid, apices exceeding the upper glumes and lower lemmas, subacute.

rosettes well-differentiated;

sheaths pubescent;

blades ovate to lanceolate.

rosettes well-differentiated;

blades 1-5 cm, ovate to lanceolate.

panicles 8-16 cm long, 4-12 mm wide, exserted, with many spikelets.

panicles 1.5-5 cm (seldom longer), nearly as wide as long, delicate, dense;

branches numerous, flexuous, spreading, often purplish, glabrous or faintly scabridulous.

= 36.