Flora of North America species comparison

30-150 (200) cm, glabrous or pubescent, sometimes scabrous.

20-40(50) cm, erect or somewhat geniculate at the base, densely scabrous or pubescent below the inflorescence;

nodes usually not exposed, culms often breaking at the upper nodes at maturity.

closed for less than 1/3 their length, persistent, glabrous or pilose, smooth or scabrous, sometimes scabrous or pilose only distally or on the distal margins;

collars usually densely pubescent or with a few hairs at the margins, sometimes glabrous;

ligules 0.2-5 mm, usually ciliate, abaxial surfaces puberulent;

blades 1-6.5 mm wide, conduplicate, convolute, or flat, 0.5-2(2.5) mm in diameter when convolute, deciduous, abaxial surfaces scabrous or smooth, glabrous or the bases pubescent, adaxial surfaces puberulent to pubescent, veins 9-15(17), ribs (3)5-15(17);

abaxial sclerenchyma forming more or less continuous bands, sometimes reduced to small strands;

adaxial sclerenchyma sometimes present;

girders or pillars present at most veins.

closed for less than 1/2 their length, glabrous, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.5 mm;

blades (1)1.2-2.5(3) mm wide, persistent, loosely conduplicate, convolute, or flat, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces with stiff hairs, veins 7-13, ribs (6)7-13;

abaxial sclerenchyma in strands opposite most of the veins, about as wide as the veins;

adaxial sclerenchyma often present;

pillars or girders sometimes present at the major veins.

10-25(30) cm, open, with (1)2(4) branches per node;

branches spreading and lax.

6-12 cm, open, with 2-4 branches per node;

branches stiffly divaricate, densely scabrous-ciliate on the angles, lower branches with 2+ spikelets;

pedicels stiffly hairy.

8-18(20) mm, borne towards the ends of the branches, with 3-6(8) florets.

5.5-8 mm, with 2(3) florets.

lanceolate, glabrous or sparsely scabrous at the apices;

lower glumes (4)4.5-6.7(8) mm;

upper glumes (5)6-10 mm;

lemmas (7)7.5-11 mm, lanceolate, scabrous, puberulent, sometimes minutely bidentate, acute, usually awned, rarely unawned, awns (1)2-3(4) mm;

paleas shorter than to longer than the lemmas, pubescent or glabrous on the margins, intercostal region usually puberulent distally;

anthers (3)4-7.5(8.5) mm;

ovary apices densely pubescent.

exceeded by the upper florets, lanceolate-acuminate, sparsely scabrous to puberulent;

lower glumes 3.5-5 mm, distinctly shorter than the adjacent lemmas;

upper glumes 5-7 mm;

lemmas 5-7 mm, chartaceous, scabrous or puberulent, minutely bidentate, awned, awns 1.5-3 mm, subterminal;

paleas about as long as or slightly longer than the lemmas, intercostal region scabrous or puberulent distally;

anthers 1.5-2.5 mm;

ovary apices pubescent.

= 56.

= 28.