Flora of North America species comparison

50-120 cm, glabrous.

2.5-10 (14) cm, up to twice as tall as the vegetative shoot leaves, usually geniculate to prostrate, erect at anthesis, glabrous, smooth.

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 about 1/2 their length, smooth or slightly scabrous, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.5 mm;

blades (0.5)0.8-1.1 mm in diameter, conduplicate, usually straight, veins 5-7, ribs 3-5, abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 5-7(9) narrow strands, usually less than twice as wide as high;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent.

(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.

1.5-3.5 cm, often racemes, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches erect, lower branches with 1-2(3+) spikelets.

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

4.5-8.5 mm, with (2)3-6 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.

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

lower glumes 1.8-3.5 mm;

upper glumes 2.9—4.3 mm;

lemmas 3.6-5.2 mm, scabrous distally, apices entire, awns 1.1-2.9 mm, usually terminal, sometimes slightly subterminal;

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

anthers 0.6-1.1 mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

leaf sheaths somewhat inflated;

flag leaf blades (0.3)0.5-2 cm.

= unknown.

= 28.