Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

8-25(40) cm, erect, smooth, glabrous or pubescent below the inflorescence.

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

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades 2-10 mm wide, flat, loosely conduplicate, or involute, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, glabrous or puberulent, adaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, veins 13-35, ribs obscure;

sclerenchyma in abaxial and adaxial strands;

girders formed at most major veins.

closed for about 1/2 their length, smooth or scabrous, glabrous or puberulent, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.5 mm;

blades 0.4-0.8(1) mm in diameter, conduplicate, abaxial surfaces glabrous, pubescent, or pilose, all conditions often present on the same plant, scabrous at the apices, adaxial surfaces scabrous or pubescent on the ribs, veins 5-7, ribs 3-5, 1 distinct and 2-4 indistinct;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 3 strands, 2 marginal and 1 opposite the midvein, rarely with 2 additional strands, the strands narrower than the veins and usually less than twice as wide as high;

adaxial sclerenchyma strands absent;

flag leaf blades 0.5-2 cm.

(8)10-30(40) cm, open, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches lax, spreading, spikelets borne towards the ends of branches.

2-3.5 cm, racemes or panicles, contracted, with 1(2) branches per node;

branches erect, lower branches usually with 1-2 spikelets.

6-11 mm, sometimes glaucous, with (2)3-5 florets.

5-6.5(8) mm, with 3-5(6) florets.

lanceolate, smooth or scabrous, acuminate;

lower glumes 4-7 mm;

upper glumes 5-7.5 mm;

lemmas 5-8 mm, chartaceous, lanceolate, glabrous, usually smooth, sometimes scabrous towards the apices, apices acute to acuminate, unawned, sometimes mucronate;

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

anthers 2-3 mm;

ovary apices densely pubescent.

exceeded by the upper florets, ovate to lanceolate, glabrous, sometimes scabrous distally;

lower glumes about 3 mm;

upper glumes about 4 mm;

lemmas 4-5 mm, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, glabrous, sometimes scabrous towards the apices, apices acute, awns 0.8-2(2.5) mm, terminal;

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

anthers 2-3.5 mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

= unknown.

= 14.