Flora of North America species comparison

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

nodes 3-4.

80-120 cm, erect or decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes, not branching at the aerial 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.

hirsute, with papillose-based hairs, those of the innovation sheaths compressed-keeled;

ligules 1-2 mm;

blades 7-30 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, flat, pilose above and below.

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 6-8 spikelike primary branches on 4-6 cm rachises;

primary branches 8-13 cm, axes triquetrous, narrowly winged, wings less than 1/2 as wide as the midribs, lower and middle portions of the branches bearing spikelets in appressed, unequally pedicellate pairs;

secondary branches rarely present;

axillary inflorescences not present;

pedicels not adnate to the branch axes.

1.2-1.7 mm, homomorphic, narrowly elliptic.

about 3 mm, elliptic lanceolate, acute.

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.

absent or minute and hyaline;

upper glumes 7-9-veined, glabrous or obscurely pubescent;

lower lemmas 7-9-veined, glabrous or obscurely pubescent;

upper lemmas elliptic, yellow or gray, becoming purple at maturity, slightly apiculate.

= 36.

= unknown.