Flora of North America species comparison

25-85 (100) cm, usually smooth, glabrous, occasionally scabrous below the inflorescences.

30-60 cm.

closed for less than 1/2 their length, smooth or scabrous, rarely pilose, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.6 mm;

blades (0.3)0.5-0.9(1.5) mm in diameter, conduplicate, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or pubescent, rarely pilose, often glaucous or bluish, veins (3)5(7), ribs (1)3-5, well defined;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 5-7 wide, irregular strands;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent.

closed for about 3/4 their length, glabrous or scabrous-pubescent, shredding into fibers, bases red-scarious;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.5-1 mm long;

vegetative shoot blades to about 2 mm wide when flat, 0.5-1 mm in diameter when loosely conduplicate, deep green, abaxial surfaces more or less uniformly scabrous, adaxial surfaces hispid or pilose on the ribs;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 5-9 small strands;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent;

cauline blades 1.4-2.5 mm wide, flat.

(5)7-15(20) cm, loosely contracted or open, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches usually somewhat spreading at maturity, sometimes erect, rarely reflexed, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

(4)7-12(15) cm, open, lax, secund or partially secund, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches somewhat stiff or lax, lower branches with 2-5 spikelets.

(5.8) 7.5-13.5(19) mm, with (2)4-7(9) florets.

pseudoviviparous, varying in length with the stage of vegetative proliferation, most florets replaced by bracts, the glumes and sometimes the lowest floret more or less normally developed or only slightly elongated, mostly deep green or reddish tinged.

exceeded by the upper florets, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, mostly smooth, sometimes scabrous distally;

lower glumes 2.4-5(6) mm;

upper glumes 3-6(8) mm;

lemmas 5-8.5(10) mm, scabrous at the apices, awns (1.5)3-6(7) mm, usually more than 1/2 as long as the lemma bodies;

paleas shorter than to about as long as the lemmas, intercostal region scabrous or puberulent distally;

anthers 2.4-4.5 mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

more or less normally developed, lanceolate, apices scabrous;

lower glumes (2.5)3.5-6 mm;

upper glumes 4.5-6.5(8) mm;

lemmas and bracts glabrous or pubescent, smooth or scabrous, sometimes mucronate, mucros to 0.5 mm;

paleas, if present, about as long as or shorter than the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally;

anthers not developed or abortive, to 2 mm;

ovaries not developed.

= 28.

= ca. 70.