Flora of North America species comparison

15-60 cm, erect, usually not branching from the upper nodes;

nodes 3-4.

40-90 cm, erect, sometimes geniculate, not rooting, at the lower nodes.

glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

ligules 0.6-2.5 mm;

blades 1.5-9 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, glabrous, with papillose-based hairs basally.

mainly cauline;

basal sheaths villous;

upper sheaths glabrous or sparsely to densely hirsute, hairs papillose-based;

ligules (1)1.5-4 mm, entire to lacerate;

blades 5-15 cm long, 1-4 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

with 2-7 spikelike primary branches in 1-2 verticils;

primary branches 3-12 cm, erect to ascending, axes 0.6-1 mm wide, wing-margined, wings at least 1/2 as wide as the midribs, lower and middle portions of the branches bearing spikelets in groups of 3(4, 5);

secondary branches rarely present;

axillary inflorescences absent.

with 4-10 spikelike primary branches on (4)10-18 cm rachises;

primary branches 4-10 cm, usually divergent at maturity, varying to ascending, axes not wing-margined, bearing spikelets in unequally pedicellate pairs;

internodes (4.5)6-15 mm (mid-branch);

secondary branches rarely present;

shorter pedicels 2-2.5 mm;

longer pedicels 7-8 mm;

terminal pedicels of primary branches 7.4-20 mm.

1.2-1.7 mm, homomorphic, narrowly elliptic.

homomorphic, 3.7-5.8 mm (including pubescence), 2.9-4.3 mm (excluding pubescence).

absent or a veinless, membranous rim;

upper glumes 1.2-1.4 mm, 1/2 as long as to almost equaling the upper lemmas, 3-veined, appressed-pubescent, hairs minutely verrucose;

lower lemmas 1.2-1.7 mm, 5-7-veined, veins equally spaced, region between the 2 inner lateral veins and the margins appressed-pubescent, hairs 0.3-0.5 mm, smooth or minutely verrucose (use 50x magnification), verrucose hairs most abundant near the lemma bases;

upper lemmas light brown when immature, dark brown at maturity;

anthers 0.4-0.6 mm.

0.3-0.5 mm;

upper glumes 2.4-3.5 mm (excluding pubescence), 3-veined, densely villous, hairs 1.5-4 mm, silvery-white to purple, spreading at maturity;

lower lemmas 2.8-4.2 mm (excluding pubescence), exceeding the upper lemmas by 0.8-2.2 mm, 5-veined and the veins equally spaced or 7-veined and the lateral veins closer to each other than to the central vein, margins densely villous, hairs 1.5-4 mm, silvery-white to purple, spreading at maturity, apices acuminate;

upper lemmas 2.6-3.2 mm, lanceolate, brown when immature, dark brown at maturity, acuminate.

= 36.

= 72.