Flora of North America species comparison

30-150 cm;

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, often purplish;

ligules absent;

blades 12-60 cm long, 10-25 mm wide, glabrous.

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.

10-30 cm, erect or drooping, nodes sparsely hispid, hairs papillose-based, internodes glabrous;

primary branches to 14 cm, nodes sometimes sparsely hispid, hairs papillose-based, internodes usually glabrous;

secondary branches to 3 cm.

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.

2.5-3.4 mm long, 1.2-1.4 mm wide, disarticulating at maturity.

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

1.2-1.5 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide;

embryos 50-70% as long as the caryopses.

about 2 mm.

glumes subequal to the spikelets;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas unawned or awned, awns 3-10(15) mm, curved;

lower paleas absent, vestigial, or well-developed;

upper lemmas narrowly elliptic, not or scarcely exceeding the upper glumes, acute or obtuse, with a well-differentiated, early-withering tip, glabrous or pubescent at the base of the tip, hairs not forming a line across the base;

anthers 0.5-0.7 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.

= 36.

= 54, 72.