Flora of North America species comparison

15-35 cm, stiffly erect, all but the upper 2-4 internodes very short;

nodes glabrous or with weak, reflexed hairs;

internodes purplish-gray, sparsely pubescent;

fall phase developing early, forming erect branches from the lower or midculm nodes, each branch terminating in a partially included panicle of 8-16 spikelets, no sterile shoots formed.

10-50 cm, erect to spreading or drooping, lower internodes very short, upper 2-4 internodes often much elongated;

fall phase branching from the basal nodes, usually producing sterile shoots or condensed secondary panicles within about 5 cm of the ground.

usually 3;

sheaths hirsute, hairs papillose-based;

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades 4-8 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, all alike, stiffly erect, green to grayish-green, flat, not plicate, sparsely pilose.

2-4;

ligules 0.5-1 mm, of hairs;

blades usually erect, stiff, upper blades 1-5 mm wide, 15-60 times as long.

2.4-3.2 mm long, 0.7-1.2 mm wide, ellipsoid to obovoid, often reddish throughout, short-pubescent.

narrowly ellipsoid to obovoid, usually pubescent, sometimes glabrous.

0.7-1.2 mm, triangular;

upper glumes and lower lemmas about equaling the upper florets;

upper florets 1.9-2.5 mm, ellipsoid, pointed.

rosettes poorly differentiated;

sheaths glabrous;

blades 2-4 cm, narrow, similar to those of the lower cauline leaves, ascending to spreading.

rosettes poorly differentiated;

blades narrow, erect or ascending, resembling the lower cauline blades in shape.

panicles 3-5 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, ovoid, open, shortly exserted, with 12-32 spikelets;

branches short, stiff, spreading;

pedicels mostly 4-8 mm, spreading.

panicles usually exserted.

florets subacute to acute or umbonate.

= 18.