Flora of North America species comparison

30-75 cm, erect, glabrous below.

decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes, erect portion (2)5-12(20) cm, often branched, glabrous or hairy on the lower internodes.

mostly glabrous, hairy at the apices, hairs to 4 mm;

ligules 0.2-0.3 mm;

blades 10-25(40) cm long, 1-5 mm wide, involute, glabrous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, sometimes also sparsely pilose.

pilose on the margins, collars, and at the apices, hairs 0.1-0.6 mm;

ligules 0.3-0.6 mm;

blades 0.5-2.5 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, flat to involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces appressed pubescent, hairs about 0.2 mm.

(3)5-30 cm long, 1-15 cm wide, from narrowly oblong, glomerate, and interrupted below to ovate and open;

primary branches 0.5-12(16) cm, appressed or diverging up to 40° from the rachises, stiff;

pulvini glabrous or sparsely hairy;

pedicels 0-1(3) mm, appressed, flattened.

terminal and axillary, 1-3.5 cm long, 0.7-2.5 cm wide, ovate, open to somewhat congested;

primary branches 0.1-0.5 cm, appressed to strongly divergent, glabrous;

pulvini sparsely pilose or glabrous;

pedicels 0.2-1 mm, ciliate.

6-16(23) cm long, 2.4-5 mm wide, ovate to linear-elliptic, flattened, stramineous, with reddish-purple margins or completely reddish-purple, with 10-45 florets;

disarticulation basipetal, florets falling intact and before the glumes.

4-13 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, linear-oblong, often arcuate, loosely imbricate, greenish-yellow to purplish, with 12-35 florets;

disarticulation acropetal, paleas persistent.

ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, membranous;

lower glumes 1.7-3 mm;

upper glumes 2.2-4 mm, apices acuminate;

lemmas 2-6 mm, ovate, membranous to leathery, apices usually acuminate or attenuate, sometimes acute;

paleas 1.5-3 mm, membranous to leathery, narrower than the lemmas, apices obtuse, sometimes bifid;

anthers 2, 0.2-0.5 mm, brownish.

linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, hyaline;

lower glumes 0.4-0.7 mm;

upper glumes 0.8-1.2 mm;

lemmas 1.4-2 mm, ovate, strongly 3-veined, veins greenish, apices acuminate;

paleas 0.7-1.2 mm, hyaline, keels scabridulous, apices acute to obtuse;

anthers 2, 0.2-0.3 mm, brownish.

0.8-1.3 mm, ellipsoid, somewhat laterally flattened, smooth, reddish-brown.

0.3-0.5 mm, ellipsoid, somewhat translucent, light brown.

= 40.

= 20.