Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

20-50(60) 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, usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent distally, persistent;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.5 mm;

blades (0.3) 0.5-0.8(1.2) mm in diameter, conduplicate, veins 5-7, ribs (1)3-5, abaxial surfaces glabrous or pubescent, not pilose, adaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous;

abaxial sclerenchyma in 3 broad strands, sometimes with additional narrow strands between the midrib and margins;

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.

(3)5-10 cm, panicles, contracted, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches erect or somewhat spreading, at least at anthesis, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

(4.8)5.5-6.5(8.5) mm, with 3-5(8) 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 sometimes scabrous on the upper midvein;

lower glumes 2-3 mm;

upper glumes (2.3)2.5-4(4.3) mm;

lemmas (3.2)3.5-4.5(5.3) mm, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, smooth throughout or scabrous distally, awns (0.5)1-2 mm, terminal;

paleas as long as the lemmas, intercostal region puberulent distally;

anthers 2.2-2.6 mm;

ovary apices glabrous.

= unknown.

= 14.