Flora of North America species comparison

50-100 cm, glabrous, somewhat glaucous;

nodes usually exposed.

40-70(100) cm, smooth, glabrous throughout;

nodes usually not exposed.

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 or scabrous, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules (0.2)0.3-0.5 mm;

blades 1.5-3 mm in diameter, loosely conduplicate to flat, persistent, abaxial surfaces glabrous and smooth, adaxial surfaces scabrous or pubescent on the ribs, veins 7-13, ribs 7-10(13), blades of the lower and upper cauline leaves similar in length and stiffness;

abaxial sclerenchyma in strands opposite and about as wide as the major veins;

adaxial sclerenchyma often present opposite the major veins;

pillars or girders often developed.

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

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

8-12(15) cm, loosely contracted, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches lax, spreading or loosely erect, lower branches with 2+ spikelets.

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

8-15(18) mm, with (3)4-6(10) 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 to ovate-lanceolate, scabrous distally;

lower glumes (2)3.5-5.5 mm;

upper glumes (4)5.5-7(8) mm;

calluses wider than long, glabrous, sometimes slightly scabrous;

lemmas (5.5)8-10(11) mm, lanceolate, scabrous or puberulent at least distally, attenuate, sometimes minutely bidentate, awns 1-3(3.5) mm, terminal or subterminal, straight, occasionally absent;

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

anthers (3)3.7-5.7 mm;

ovary apices sparsely or densely pubescent.

= unknown.

= unknown.