Flora of North America species comparison

10-60 cm, usually erect, sometimes decumbent or prostrate.

to 60 cm, usually erect, glabrous.

conspicuously distichous;

lower leaves reduced to scalelike sheaths;

upper leaf sheaths strongly overlapping;

ligules shorter than 1 mm, membranous, serrate;

upper blades stiff, glabrous, ascending to spreading, usually equaling or exceeding the pistillate panicles.

of upper leaves 1-8(20) cm, rigid and divaricate to lax and ascending, usually equaling or exceeding the pistillate panicles, varying with respect to the staminate panicles.

terminal, contracted panicles or racemes, sometimes exceeding the upper leaves.

laterally compressed, with 2-20 florets;

disarticulation of the pistillate spikelets above the glumes and below the florets, staminate spikelets not disarticulating.

3-7-veined;

lemmas coriaceous, staminate lemmas thinner than the pistillate lemmas, 9-11-veined, unawned;

paleas 2-keeled, keels narrowly to broadly winged, serrate to toothed, sometimes with excurrent veins;

anthers 3.

2-5 mm, tapered or truncate.

glabrous, free from the palea at maturity, brown, x = 10.

panicles 1-7 cm, often congested, with 2-20 spikelets.; pistillate spikelets 5-20 mm long, 4-7 mm wide, with 5-20 florets;

lower glumes 2-3 mm;

upper glumes 3-4 mm;

lemmas 3.5-6 mm;

paleas with serrate keels.

panicles and spikelets similar to the pistillate panicles and spikelets, but the lemmas somewhat thinner in texture and the paleas not bowed-out.

3-4 mm.

= 40.