Flora of North America species comparison

10-70 cm;

lower nodes glabrous or hispid, hairs appressed;

upper nodes glabrous.

1-4.6 m tall, to 2 cm thick, geniculate or long-prostrate and rooting at the lower nodes, often floating distally;

lower and upper nodes glabrous.

glabrous;

ligules absent, ligule region frequently brown-purple;

blades 8-22 cm long, 3-6(10) mm wide, mostly glabrous, sometimes hispid, hairs papillose-based on or near the margins.

mostly glabrous, but usually ciliate at the throat;

ligules present on the lower leaves, 1-5 mm, of stiff hairs, reduced or absent on the upper leaves;

blades 8-75 cm long, 5-30 mm wide.

2-12 cm, erect, rachises glabrous or sparsely hispid;

primary branches 5-10, 0.7-2(4) cm, erect to ascending, spikelike, somewhat distant, without secondary branches, axes glabrous or sparsely hispid, hairs 1.5-2.5 mm, papillose-based.

15-40 cm, nodes and internodes scabrous;

primary branches 2-7.5 cm, solitary to fascicled, erect or ascending, simple or compound, nodes and internodes glabrous or hispid, hairs to 4 mm, papillose-based.

2-3 mm, disarticulating at maturity, pubescent to hispid, hairs usually not papillose-based, tips acute to cuspidate.

2.5-4 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, disarticulating at maturity, finely pubescent or glabrous, greenish to purple at maturity.

about 1/2 as long as the spikelets;

upper glumes about as long as the spikelets;

lower florets usually sterile, occasionally staminate;

lower lemmas unawned, similar to the upper glumes;

lower paleas subequal to the lemmas;

upper lemmas 2.6-2.9 mm, not or scarcely exceeding the upper glumes, elliptic, coriaceous portion rounded distally, passing abruptly into a sharply differentiated, membranous, soon-withering tip;

anthers 0.7-0.8 mm.

1.2-1.6 mm, whitish;

embryos 63-83% as long as the caryopses.

about 2 mm.

florets staminate;

lower lemmas unawned, acute to acuminate or long cuspidate;

anthers of lower florets 1-1.5 mm;

upper lemmas apiculate to long cuspidate.

= 54.

= 54, 72.