Flora of North America species comparison

100-200 cm tall, 3-5 mm thick, smooth.

30-100 cm tall, 3-6 mm thick, spongy, usually decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes.

smooth or scabridulous, weakly keeled;

ligules 1-1.5 mm, truncate;

blades to 45 cm long, 6-10 mm wide, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous.

smooth, weakly keeled;

ligules 5-9 mm;

blades 10-15 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, abaxial surfaces smooth, adaxial surfaces of the midcauline leaves often papillose.

20-30 cm long, 7.5-14 cm wide, open, pyramidal;

branches 7.5-14 cm, spreading or reflexed, lax, with 16-80 spikelets;

pedicels 2-7 mm.

often racemes, sometimes panicles, 15-35 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, open at anthesis, bases often enclosed in the flag leaf sheaths at maturity;

branches 5.5-8 cm (absent in racemose plants), solitary or in pairs, appressed, most branches with 1-3 spikelets, the lower branches sometimes with more than 3;

pedicels 1.5-2.5 mm.

3.5-5.5 mm long, 2-3(3.5) mm wide, laterally compressed, oval in side view, with 3-5 florets.

20-45 mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, cylindrical and terete except slightly laterally compressed at anthesis, rectangular in side view, with 5-12 florets.

tapering from below midlength to the narrowly (< 45°) acute apices, veins not extending to the apices;

lower glumes 0.8-1.5 mm;

upper glumes 1.8-2.2 mm;

rachilla internodes about 0.5 mm;

lemmas 2.2-2.7 mm, 0.9-1.1 mm wide in dorsal view, veins distinctly raised, usually smooth over and between the veins, sometimes scabridulous over the veins, apices acute, prow-shaped;

paleas slightly shorter than the lemmas, lengths 2-2.7 times widths, keels not winged, tips incurved, apices narrowly notched between the keels;

anthers 2, about 1.5 mm, dehiscent at maturity.

unequal, acute;

lower glumes 1.3-4.5 mm;

upper glumes 3-7 mm;

rachilla internodes 2-3 mm;

lemmas 6-8.5 mm, scabridulous, 7-veined, gradually tapering from near midlength to the narrowly acute (< 45°) or acuminate apices;

paleas 0.7-3 mm longer than the lemmas, keels winged, tips parallel, intercostal region truncate, often splitting, apices appearing bifid, with 0.4-1 mm teeth;

anthers 3, 1-2 mm.

about 1.5 mm.

about 3 mm.

= 40.

= 40.