Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

(5)10-35 (45) cm, pubescent 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 or puberulent, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.2-0.5 mm;

blades 0.5-0.8 mm in diameter, conduplicate, abaxial surfaces glabrous, smooth or scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous or hirsute, veins (3)5-7, ribs 3-5, 1 distinct and 2-4 indistinct;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 3-7 broad, sometimes confluent strands, covering 1/2 or more of the surface.

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

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

(1.5)2-10 cm, contracted, with 1(2) branches per node;

branches erect, stiff, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

pseudoviviparous, varying in length with the stage of vegetative proliferation, the glumes and often 1 or 2 adjacent florets more or less normally developed or only slightly elongated, the distal florets replaced by leafy bracts.

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.

ovate-lanceolate, densely puberulent to pubescent throughout;

lower glumes 2-4.5 mm;

upper glumes (2.7)3.8-5.2 mm;

normal lemmas 3.5-5 mm, densely hairy to pubescent, sometimes awned, awns to 0.2 mm;

vegetative bracts unawned, leaflike, sometimes with ligules;

paleas usually reduced or absent, well-formed paleas about as long as the lemmas;

anthers usually poorly developed and the pollen sterile, well-formed anthers to about 2.5 mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

= unknown.

= 28.