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, slender, erect or spreading;

from a dense tuft of predominantly basal leaves, lower internodes short, upper 3-5 internodes elongate;

nodes glabrous or bearded;

internodes glabrous or pilose;

fall phase with spreading culms and branches arising from near the bases forming a dense, flat tuft.

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;

lower cauline sheaths longer than the internodes, mostly glabrous or pilose with ascending hairs, margins finely ciliate;

ligules 0.2-2 mm, at low magnification appearing to be membranous and ciliate, at high magnification evidently of hairs that are coherent at the base;

blades 1.5-6 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, lanceolate, glabrous or softly pilose, margins with prominent papillose-based cilia, at least basally.

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

1.1-2.1 mm, obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, glabrous or pubescent, hairs not papillose-based.

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.

1/3 - 1/2 as long as the spikelets, acute to obtuse;

upper florets 0.8-1.7 mm, ellipsoid, subacute.

rosettes well-differentiated;

sheaths pubescent;

blades ovate to lanceolate.

rosettes poorly differentiated;

blades 1-5 cm, lanceolate, grading into the cauline blades.

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

panicles short- to long-exserted;

rachises and branches often pilose.

= 36.