Flora of North America species comparison

15-45(65) cm, erect or decumbent, sometimes with crateriform glands below the nodes.

25-75 cm, erect, glabrous below the nodes.

glabrous, occasionally glandular, apices hairy, hairs to 5 mm;

ligules 0.4-0.8 mm, ciliate;

blades (1)5-20 cm long, (1)3-5(10) mm wide, flat to involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, sometimes glandular, adaxial surfaces scabridulous, occasionally also hairy.

glabrous or with hairy apices, hairs to 4 mm;

ligules 0.1-0.3 mm, ciliate;

blades 4-8(18) cm long, 1-2 mm wide, involute, frequently deciduous, adaxial surfaces mostly glabrous, sometimes pilose near the base.

(3)5-16(20) cm long, 2-8.5 cm wide, oblong to ovate, condensed to open;

primary branches 0.4-5 cm, appressed or diverging 20-80° from the rachises;

pulvini glabrous or hairy;

pedicels 0.2-3 mm, stout, straight, stiff, usually divergent, occasionally appressed.

terminal and axillary;

terminal panicles 5-15 cm long, (1)2-10(12) cm wide, narrowly ovate, open;

axillary panicles 2-5 cm long, 0.3-0.6 cm wide, usually contracted and partially to completely enclosed by the subtending sheath;

primary branches 1-10 cm, appressed or diverging up to 90° from the rachises, wiry;

pulvini glabrous or hairy;

pedicels 0.3-5 mm, appressed, flattened.

6-20 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, ovate-lanceolate, plumbeous, greenish, with 10-40 florets;

disarticulation below the florets, each floret falling as a unit, rachillas persistent.

6-15(27) mm long, 1.6-2.4 mm wide, ovate-lanceolate, plumbeous to greenish, often with a reddish-purple tinge, with 10-35(45) florets;

disarticulation acropetal, glumes first, then the lemmas, paleas persistent.

broadly ovate to lanceolate, membranous, usually glandular;

lower glumes 1.2-2 mm, usually 1-veined;

upper glumes 1.2-2.6 mm, often 3-veined;

lemmas 2-2.8 mm, broadly ovate, membranous, keels with 1-3 crateriform glands, apices obtuse to acute;

paleas 1.2-2.1 mm, hyaline, keels scabrous, sometimes also ciliate, cilia to 0.3 mm, apices obtuse to acute;

anthers 3, 0.2-0.5 mm, yellow.

lanceolate to ovate, membranous;

lower glumes 1.4-2.1 mm;

upper glumes 1.6-2.2 mm;

lemmas (1.7)2-2.5 mm, broadly ovate, leathery, apices acute to acuminate;

paleas 1.1-1.7 mm, hyaline, apices obtuse to truncate;

anthers 2, 0.3-0.7 mm, reddish-purple.

0.5-0.7 mm, globose to broadly ellipsoid, smooth to faintly striate, not grooved, reddish-brown or translucent.

0.5-0.6 mm, globose, not grooved, smooth, light reddish-brown.

= 20.

= 40.