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.

15-55 cm, slender, erect or radiating from a large tuft of predominantly basal leaves, lower internodes short, upper 3-5 internodes elongate;

nodes bearded with soft, spreading or retrorse hairs;

internodes glabrous;

fall phase branching extensively from the basal nodes, forming a dense cushion that overwinters.

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.

2-4;

sheaths usually longer than the internodes, pilose, hairs to 4 mm, retrorse or spreading;

ligules 0.2-1 mm, at low magnification appearing to be membranous and ciliate, at high magnification evidently of hairs that are coherent at the base;

blades 4-17 cm long, 4-12 mm wide, lanceolate, at least 3/4 as long as the basal blades, spreading to suberect, thin, soft, lax, yellowish-green, nearly glabrous or densely pilose on 1 or both surfaces, margins usually finely short-ciliate, at least on the basal 1/2, cilia not papillose-based.

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

1.7-2.3 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, broadly ovate or oblong-obovoid, with papillose-based hairs, obtuse.

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.

1/4 - 1/3 as long as the spikelets, broadly deltoid;

upper glumes and lower lemmas subequal, usually fully covering the upper florets;

upper florets 1.5-1.8 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, broadly ellipsoid or obovoid, minutely umbonate.

rosettes well-differentiated;

sheaths pubescent;

blades ovate to lanceolate.

rosettes poorly differentiated;

blades ovate to lanceolate.

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

panicles 4-12 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, well-exserted;

secondary panicles more compact, usually not exserted above the crowded basal leaves;

rachises and branches wiry, spreading or deflexed, often pilose.

= 36.

= 18.