Flora of North America species comparison

35-80(100) cm, smooth, glabrous throughout;

nodes usually not exposed.

(11)13.5-25(28) cm, smooth and glabrous throughout or sparsely to densely scabrous or puberulent below the inflorescence.

closed for less than 1/2 their length, usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent, strongly reined, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules (0.2)0.3-0.8(1) mm;

blades 0.5-1.3 mm in diameter when conduplicate, to 2.5 mm wide when flat, persistent, abaxial surfaces glabrous and smooth, adaxial surfaces scabrous or pubescent, veins 5-9(12), ribs 5-9, blades of the lower cauline leaves usually reduced to stiff horny points, blades of the upper cauline leaves longer and more flexuous;

abaxial sclerenchyma in strands about as wide as the adjacent veins;

adaxial sclerenchyma developed;

pillars and girders often present.

closed for about 1/2 their length, glabrous or scabrous, stramineous or brownish, persistent or slowly shredding into fibers;

collars glabrous;

ligules 0.1-0.5 mm;

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

abaxial sclerenchyma in 3-7 small strands, covering less than 1/2 the abaxial surface and usually less than twice as wide as high.

(4)8-15 cm, open or somewhat contracted, with 1-2 branches per node;

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

(1)3-4.8 cm, contracted, usually panicles, sometimes racemes, erect, with 1-2 branches per node;

branches erect, lower branches with (1)2+ spikelets.

9-15 mm, with (2)3-6(7) florets.

pseudoviviparous, their length varying 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 bracts.

exceeded by the upper florets, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, glabrous, smooth or scabridulous distally;

lower glumes (2.4)2.8-5 mm, distinctly shorter than the adjacent lemmas;

upper glumes 4.5-7(8.5) mm;

lemmas (4.8)6-8.5 mm, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, glabrous, smooth or slightly scabrous, apices acute, unawned or awned, awns 0.2-1.5(2) mm;

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

anthers (2)2.5-4(5) mm;

ovary apices densely pubescent.

lanceolate, glabrous and smooth, sometimes scabrous towards the apices, or puberulent throughout or only towards the apices;

lower glumes (2)3-6 mm;

upper glumes (2.7)3-7 mm;

normal lemmas 3.3-6 mm, mostly smooth or scabrous distally, glabrous or puberulent, awned or unawned, sometimes varying within a panicle, awns to 1 mm;

vegetative bracts unawned, leaflike, sometimes with ligules;

paleas usually reduced or absent, well-formed paleas about as long as the lemmas, intercostal region scabrous or puberulent distally;

anthers usually not developed, well-formed anthers to about 2 mm;

ovaries sometimes not developed;

ovary apices, when present, glabrous.

= 28.

= 49, 56.