Flora of North America species comparison

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

(10)20-41 cm, smooth, glabrous throughout or pubescent near the inflorescence, bases often geniculate.

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 about 3/4 their length, often splitting with age, coarsely ribbed, shredding into fibers, bases reddish brown, scarious;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.4(0.6) mm;

blades 0.3-0.8(1) mm in diameter, conduplicate, green or glaucous, abaxial surfaces glabrous, smooth or scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or puberulent;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 5-7(9) small strands;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent.

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

branches spreading and lax.

(3)5-12 cm, usually paniculate, sometimes racemose or sub-racemose, compact or open, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches stiff or somewhat lax, lower branches with 1-3 spikelets.

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

pseudoviviparous, varying in length with the stage of vegetative proliferation, the glumes and often 1 or 2 adjacent florets more or less normally developed or only slightly elongated, glabrous or pubescent, the distal florets vegetative.

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.

more or less normally developed, ovate to lanceolate;

lower glumes (2.5)3-3.5(5.5);

upper glumes 3.5-4.5(6.5);

lowest lemma in each spikelet usually normally developed, acute, unawned, usually without reproductive structures or the structures abortive;

subsequent lemmas modified into leafy bracts;

paleas usually absent, shorter than the lemmas if present, intercostal region puberulent distally;

anthers usually aborted, when present 1.5-2.3(3) mm;

ovaries rarely present, apices glabrous.

= 56.

= 49, 50, 63.