Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

20-40(50) cm, erect or somewhat geniculate at the base, densely scabrous or pubescent below the inflorescence;

nodes usually not exposed, culms often breaking at the upper nodes at maturity.

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 less than 1/2 their length, glabrous, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.5 mm;

blades (1)1.2-2.5(3) mm wide, persistent, loosely conduplicate, convolute, or flat, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces with stiff hairs, veins 7-13, ribs (6)7-13;

abaxial sclerenchyma in strands opposite most of the veins, about as wide as the veins;

adaxial sclerenchyma often present;

pillars or girders sometimes present at the major veins.

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

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

6-12 cm, open, with 2-4 branches per node;

branches stiffly divaricate, densely scabrous-ciliate on the angles, lower branches with 2+ spikelets;

pedicels stiffly hairy.

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

5.5-8 mm, with 2(3) 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, lanceolate-acuminate, sparsely scabrous to puberulent;

lower glumes 3.5-5 mm, distinctly shorter than the adjacent lemmas;

upper glumes 5-7 mm;

lemmas 5-7 mm, chartaceous, scabrous or puberulent, minutely bidentate, awned, awns 1.5-3 mm, subterminal;

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

anthers 1.5-2.5 mm;

ovary apices pubescent.

= unknown.

= 28.