Flora of North America species comparison

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

(16)25-65(85) cm, glabrous, smooth or scabrous near the inflorescence;

nodes usually not exposed.

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 1/3 their length, glabrous, smooth or scabrous, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.3-0.6 mm;

blades usually conduplicate and 0.5-1.2 mm in diameter, rarely flat and 1-2.5 mm wide, gray-green, deciduous, abaxial surfaces scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or puberulent, veins (5)7-9, ribs 5-7, conspicuous;

abaxial sclerenchyma usually forming continuous or interrupted bands;

adaxial sclerenchyma present;

girders developed at the 3(5) major veins;

pillars developed at most other veins.

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

branches spreading and lax.

6-16 cm, usually more or less contracted, open at anthesis, with 1-2(3) branches per node;

branches erect or stiffly spreading, spikelets borne towards the ends of the branches.

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

(6.5)7-9.5 mm, with 2-3(4) 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.

about equaling or slightly exceeding the upper florets;

lower glumes 5-8(9.5) mm, about equaling or slightly longer than the adjacent lemmas;

upper glumes 6.2-8.5(9.5) mm;

lemmas 5.5-8(9) mm, chartaceous to somewhat coriaceous, scabrous, rounded below midlength, veins somewhat obscure, apices unawned or awned, awns 0.5-1.3 mm;

paleas somewhat shorter than the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally;

anthers 4-6 mm;

ovary apices sparsely pubescent.

= 56.

= 28.