Flora of North America species comparison

10-100 cm long, erect portion 30-60 cm, long-decumbent, rooting and branching at the decumbent nodes, sparingly branched or unbranched from the upper nodes;

nodes 2-5, glabrous.

40-100 cm, erect, sometimes geniculate, not rooting, at the lower nodes.

with papillose-based hairs;

ligules 2-3.5 mm, erose;

blades 1.5-14.4(18.9) cm long, 3-9 mm wide, flat, glabrous, a few scattered papillose-based hairs at the base of the adaxial surfaces (occasionally over the whole adaxial surface), usually also scabrous on both surfaces.

with 2-10 spikelike primary branches, these digitate or in 1-3 whorls on rachises to 2 cm;

lowest panicle nodes with hairs more than 0.4 mm;

primary branches 3-24 cm long, 0.6-1.2(2) mm wide, glabrous or with less than 1 mm hairs, axes wing-margined, wings at least 1/2 as wide as the midribs, lower and middle portions of the branches bearing spikelets in unequally pedicellate pairs;

secondary branches absent;

shorter pedicels 0.5-1 mm;

longer pedicels 1.5-4 mm.

with 4-10 spikelike primary branches on 5-10 cm rachises, rarely with secondary branches;

primary branches 3-6 cm, appressed to ascending, axes not wing-margined;

internodes 2-5.5 mm (midbranch), bearing spikelets in unequally pedicellate pairs;

secondary branches rarely present;

pedicels not adnate to the branch axes;

shorter pedicels 0.1-0.3 mm;

longer pedicels 1-2 mm;

terminal pedicels of branches 1.7-6(7) mm.

(2.7)2.8-4.1 mm long, homomorphic.

homomorphic, (3.7)4-7.5 mm (including pubescence), 3-5.4 mm (excluding pubescence).

1.3-2 mm.

glumes 0.2-0.8 mm, acute;

upper glumes (1.2)1.5-2.7 mm, about 2/3 to almost as long as the spikelet, 3-veined, margins and apices pilose;

lower lemmas 2.7-4.1 mm, 7-veined, veins unequally spaced, outer 3 veins crowded together near each margin, well-separated from the midvein, usually smooth, occasionally the lateral veins scabridulous on the distal 1/3 margins and regions between the 2 inner lateral veins hairy, hairs 0.5-1 mm (rarely glabrous), sometimes also with glassy yellow hairs between the 2 inner lateral veins, these more common on the upper spikelets;

upper lemmas 2.5-4 mm, glabrous, yellow, tan, or gray when immature, becoming brown, often purple-tinged (occasionally completely purple) at maturity;

anthers 0.6-1 mm.

glumes 0.4-0.6 mm;

upper glumes 2.5-5.1 mm (excluding pubescence), narrower than the upper florets, 3-veined, densely villous, hairs 1.5-5 mm, silvery-white to purple, widely divergent at maturity;

lower lemmas 2.7-5 mm (excluding pubescence), pubescence exceeding the upper florets by 2.2-4 mm, 7-veined, veins unequally spaced, only the 3 or 5 central veins visible, margins and outer lateral veins densely pubescent, hairs 1.5-5 mm, silvery-white to purple, widely divergent at maturity, intercostal regions glabrous, apices attenuate (acuminate);

upper lemmas 2.5-3.4 mm, ovate-lanceolate, brown to dark brown, acuminate.

sheaths villous;

upper sheaths glabrous, densely villous or densely tomentose, or sparsely to densely hairy, with papillose-based hairs;

ligules (1)1.5-6 mm, entire or lacerate, not ciliate;

blades 2-12(18) cm long, 2-5(7) mm wide, glabrous or the adaxial surfaces sparsely to densely villous or tomentose.

= 54.

= 36, 54, 70, 72.