Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

(15)22-35(50) cm, erect, glabrous, smooth.

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, pubescent or glabrous, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.4 mm;

blades 0.6-1 mm in diameter, conduplicate, veins 5-7, ribs 1-3(5), indistinct;

abaxial sclerenchyma forming continuous or interrupted bands;

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.

2.5-9(11) cm, compact, erect, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches stiff, erect, smooth or scabrous, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

5.5-9(11) mm, with 3-6(7) 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 to ovate, glabrous or pubescent distally;

lower glumes (1.8)2-3(4) mm;

upper glumes 2.8-4(5.1) mm;

lemmas (3.5)4-6(6.2) mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, smooth or scabrous near the apices, sometimes pubescent distally, awns (0.6)1-1.5(2) mm, terminal;

paleas about equal to the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally;

anthers (1.8)2-3 mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

= unknown.

= 42 [in European literature for the horticultural forms].