Flora of North America species comparison

50-120 cm, glabrous.

60-120(150) cm, 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 3/4 their length, slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.3 mm;

blades varying within a plant, blades of the vegetative shoots to 60 cm long, (0.2)0.3-0.6 mm in diameter, conduplicate, veins 3-5(7), ribs 1(3), abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous, cauline blades to 25 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, flat;

abaxial sclerenchyma of the vegetative shoot blades in 3-5 small strands less than twice as wide as high, of the upper cauline blades in 7-11 small strands;

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.

6-18 cm, open or contracted, somewhat secund, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches more or less erect, scabrous, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

7-14 mm, with (2)3-6(9) 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-lanceolate to lanceolate, mostly smooth or scabrous on the upper midvein;

lower glumes 3-5.5 mm;

upper glumes 4-6.5(7) mm;

lemmas (4.7)5-8.5 mm, lanceolate, mostly smooth, sometimes scabrous near the apices, awns 1.5-6 mm;

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

anthers 2.5-4.5 mm;

ovary apices pubescent.

= unknown.

= 28.