Flora of North America species comparison

20-70(112), often decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes.

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

keeled, usually sparsely pubescent with papillose-based hairs;

ligules 0.5-2.6 mm;

blades 2-11(14) cm long, 3-8(12) mm wide, usually with papillose-based hairs on both surfaces, sometimes glabrous.

with 4-13 spikelike primary branches, these subdigitate or on rachises to 6 cm;

primary branches 3-30 cm long, 0.7-1.5 mm wide, flattened and winged, wings more than 1/2 as wide as the midribs, lower and middle portion of the branches bearing spikelets in unequally pedicellate pairs, pedicels not adnate to the branches;

secondary branches rarely present.

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.

homomorphic, 1.7-3.4 mm long, 0.7-1.1 mm wide.

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

0.2-0.4 mm long, veinless;

upper glumes 0.9-2 mm, 1/3 – 1/2 as long as the spikelets, 3-veined, pubescent on the margins;

lower lemmas usually exceeded or equaled by the upper florets, sometimes exceeding them but by no more than 0.2 mm, glabrous, 7-veined, lateral (or all) veins scabrous throughout or smooth on the lower (1/3)1/2 and scabrous distally, 3 middle veins usually widely spaced, remaining veins on each side close together and near the margins;

upper lemmas 1.7-3 mm, yellow or gray, frequently purple-tinged when immature, often becoming brown at maturity;

anthers 0.5-0.9 mm.

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.

1.3-2 mm.

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, 28, 34, 54.

= 36, 54, 70, 72.