Flora of North America species comparison

80-130 cm, erect, with densely villous cataphylls, branching from the lower and middle nodes.

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

usually sparsely to densely papillose-hirsute, occasionally glabrous;

ligules 4-6 mm, usually lacerate, not ciliate;

blades 20-50 cm long, 10-17 mm wide, lax, smooth or scabridulous abaxially, scabridulous to scabrous adaxially.

20-35 cm long, 2-10 cm wide, with numerous spikelike primary branches;

primary branches 10-15 cm, appressed to ascending at maturity, axes not wing-margined or with wings less than 1/2 as wide as the midribs;

internodes 3-4.5(6) mm (midbranch), bearing spikelets in unequally pedicellate pairs;

secondary branches rarely present;

pedicels not adnate to the branches;

shorter pedicels 0.7-2 mm;

longer pedicels 2.5-5 mm;

terminal pedicels 2-5 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.

5.5-8.2 mm (including pubescence), 4.2-5.9 mm (excluding pubescence), narrowly ovate, acuminate.

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

1.3-2 mm.

glumes 0.6-0.8 mm;

upper glumes 3.5-4.5 mm, 3-5-veined, pubescent on the margins;

lower lemmas 4.1-5.7 mm (exceeded 1.5-5 mm by pubescence), narrowly ovate, 7-veined, pubescent between most, sometimes all, of the veins and on the margins, veins usually obscured by a dense covering of golden-brown hairs, hairs 3-6 mm, spreading at maturity, intercostal regions on either side of the midvein glabrous or pubescent with shorter, fine, white hairs, sometimes intermixed with the golden-brown hairs;

upper lemmas 3.2-4.5 mm, narrowly ovate, brown when immature, dark brown at maturity, acuminate;

anthers 1-1.2 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.

= 36.

= 36, 54, 70, 72.