Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

(5)8-35(55) cm, erect, usually smooth and glabrous, sometimes sparsely scabrous or puberulent 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, smooth or scabrous, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.4 mm;

blades (0.3)0.5-1(1.2) mm in diameter, conduplicate, abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous, veins (3)5-7, ribs 3-5;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 3-7(9) narrow strands, usually less than twice as wide as high;

adaxial sclerenchyma absent;

flag leaf sheaths not inflated, more or less tightly enclosing the culms;

flag leaf blades (0.3)1-2.5(3) cm.

(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(5.5) cm, contracted, usually panicles, very rarely racemes, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches usually erect, sometimes spreading at anthesis, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

3.5-7(8.5) mm, with 2-4(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, usually glabrous and smooth, sometimes scabrous distally;

lower glumes (1.2)1.8-3(3.5) mm;

upper glumes (2.4)2.6-4(4.6) mm;

lemmas 2.5-4.5(6) mm, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, scabrous towards the apices, awns (0.8)1-3(3.5) mm, terminal;

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

anthers (0.5)0.7-1.1(1.3) mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

= unknown.

= 28, 42, 44.