Flora of North America species comparison

50-120 cm, glabrous.

(25)30-90(120) cm, glabrous or slightly scabrous;

nodes usually not exposed.

closed for less than 1/3 their length, glabrous, shredding into fibers;

Iigules (0.2)0.5-1.5 mm;

blades 2-8 mm wide, flat or loosely convolute, smooth or scabrous, veins 9-35, ribs obscure;

abaxial sclerenchyma in narrow strands;

adaxial sclerenchyma developed;

girders or pillars usually associated with the major veins.

closed for less than 1/3 their length, glabrous or scabrous, persistent, not shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.6 (1) mm;

blades deciduous, 2-4 mm wide, convolute, conduplicate, sometimes flat, 1-2.5 mm in diameter when conduplicate, yellow-green to dark green, abaxial surfaces scabrous, adaxial surfaces glabrous or pubescent, smooth or scabrous, veins 7-15(17), ribs 5-9;

abaxial sclerenchyma in strands about as wide as the adjacent veins;

adaxial sclerenchyma present;

girders associated with the major veins.

(5)10-20 cm, open, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches lax, ascending to spreading, spikelets clustered towards the ends of the branches, closely imbricate.

5-16 cm, open, often secund, with 1-2(3) branches per node;

branches lax, spreading, lower branches usually recurved or reflexed, spikelets borne towards the ends of the branches.

4-7(7.5) mm, elliptic to obovate, with 3-5(8) florets.

8-14 mm, usually purple, lustrous, with 3-4(6) florets.

lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, scabrous at least on the veins;

lower glumes (2.5)3-4(5) mm, usually almost as long as the adjacent lemmas;

upper glumes (3.5)4-5(5.5) mm;

lemmas 4-5(5.2) mm, stiffly chartaceous, ovate to obovate, glabrous, somewhat acute, unawned;

paleas as long as or slightly shorter than the lemmas, intercostal region smooth or scabrous distally;

anthers (0.7)1-2(2.5) mm;

ovary apices pubescent.

glabrous or slightly scabrous, distinctly shorter than the adjacent lemmas;

lower glumes 4-6.8(8.5) mm;

upper glumes (4.5)5.3-7.5(10) mm;

lemmas (6.5)7.5-9(12) mm, chartaceous, scabrous, at least on the veins, keeled on the lo'ver 1/2, veins 5, prominent, apices attenuate or short-awned, awns 0.2-0.7 mm;

paleas about as long as or a little shorter than the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally;

anthers 2.6-4.5(5) mm;

ovary apices usually sparsely pubescent, rarely glabrous.

= unknown.

= 28.