Flora of North America species comparison

50-120 cm, glabrous.

30-60 cm.

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, 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)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.

(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.

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

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.

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.

= unknown.

= ca. 70.