Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

5-25(30) cm, densely pubescent or shortly pilose near 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, glabrous, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.3 mm;

blades (0.4)0.6-1(1.2) mm in diameter, conduplicate, abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or puberulent, veins (3)5-7, ribs 3-5;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 3-7 small strands, usually less than twice as wide as high;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent.

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

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

1.5-4(5) cm, contracted, usually panicles, rarely racemes, usually somewhat secund, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches erect, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

(4.5)5-7.5(8.5) mm, with (2)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-lanceolate, scabrous distally;

lower glumes 2.2-3.7(4) mm;

upper glumes 3-5 mm;

lemmas (3.5)4-6 mm, scabridulous near the apices, awns 0.8-2.6(3.3) mm, terminal;

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

anthers 0.3-0.7 (1.1) mm;

ovary apices usually with a few hairs, rarely glabrous.

leaf sheaths usually somewhat loosely enclosing the culms;

flag leaf blades 0.5-4 cm.

= unknown.

= 28.