Flora of North America species comparison

to 110 cm, usually erect, sometimes almost prostrate;

nodes glabrous.

to 90 cm, erect to geniculate, not bulbous;

nodes glabrous.

glabrous or densely pubescent;

auricles absent;

blades to 19 cm long, to 8 mm wide, glabrous or with hairs on both surfaces, hairs sometimes of mixed lengths.

3-8 cm long, 7-16 mm wide, pale green to distinctly reddish, especially the awns;

rachises disarticulating at maturity.

3-8.5 cm, green to somewhat purple.

7-19 mm, ascending to slightly divergent at maturity.

sheaths often completely surrounding the culms, glabrous or somewhat pilose;

ligules 1-4 mm;

auricles to 8 mm, well developed even on the upper leaves;

blades to 28 cm, usually flat, occasionally with involute margins, glabrous or sparsely pilose, sometimes scabrous.

spikelets sessile, florets sessile or pedicellate, pedicels to 2 mm;

glumes 11-25 mm long, 0.8-1.8 mm wide, flattened, margins usually distinctly ciliate;

lemmas 8-14 mm long, to 2 mm wide, more or less smooth, awned, awns 20-40 mm;

lodicules glabrous or with 1+ cilia;

anthers 0.2-3.2 mm, gray to yellow, sometimes with purple spots.

spikelets: glumes 9-19 mm long, about 0.2 mm wide, setaceous throughout, rarely flattened near the base;

lemmas 5.5-10 mm, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent, awned, awns 3.5-14 mm;

anthers 0.8-4 mm.

spikelets staminate, floret sessile;

glumes flattened, margins ciliate;

lemmas 8-15 mm, awned, awns 20-50 mm;

paleas 8-15 mm;

rachillas 2.5-6.5 mm, slender or gibbous, yellow.

spikelets staminate;

glumes 7-19 mm, setaceous;

lower glumes sometimes flattened near the base;

lemmas rudimentary to well developed, awns to 7.5 mm, rarely absent;

anthers 0.8-4 mm.

= 14, 28, 42.

= 14, 28, 42.