Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

60-120(150) cm, 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 3/4 their length, slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.3 mm;

blades varying within a plant, blades of the vegetative shoots to 60 cm long, (0.2)0.3-0.6 mm in diameter, conduplicate, veins 3-5(7), ribs 1(3), abaxial surfaces smooth or sparsely scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous, cauline blades to 25 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, flat;

abaxial sclerenchyma of the vegetative shoot blades in 3-5 small strands less than twice as wide as high, of the upper cauline blades in 7-11 small strands;

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.

6-18 cm, open or contracted, somewhat secund, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches more or less erect, scabrous, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

7-14 mm, with (2)3-6(9) 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 lanceolate, mostly smooth or scabrous on the upper midvein;

lower glumes 3-5.5 mm;

upper glumes 4-6.5(7) mm;

lemmas (4.7)5-8.5 mm, lanceolate, mostly smooth, sometimes scabrous near the apices, awns 1.5-6 mm;

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

anthers 2.5-4.5 mm;

ovary apices pubescent.

= unknown.

= 28.