Flora of North America species comparison

(0.5)1-5(7) m long, arching, clambering over brush or bending to the ground if unsupported.

0.5-8 m, weakly lignified, erect, arching, climbing, or decumbent, rooting at the nodes.

mostly glabrous, margins and throats ciliate;

ligules 0.8-13 mm, glabrous or ciliate;

blades (3)5-12(16) cm long, 3-20(30) mm wide, linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, lower blades often deciduous.

open;

ligules membranous, sometimes ciliate;

pseudopetioles sometimes present;

blades linear to ovate, bases slightly to strongly asymmetric.

2-12(20) cm;

branches to 12 cm, with widely-spaced spikelets;

lower branches usually reflexed;

upper branches widely spreading.

open or contracted panicles, rachises usually visible, even distally, spikelets attached obliquely to the pedicels;

disarticulation below the glumes.

3.5-4.5 mm, obovate.

subglobose to globose, with 2 florets.

membranous, apices lanate pubescent, abruptly apiculate;

lower glumes 1/3 – 2/3 as long as the spikelets, 5-13-veined, bases saccate, margins overlapping;

upper glumes about as long as the upper florets, not saccate, 7-15-veined;

lower florets sterile or staminate;

lower lemmas membranous, apices lanate pubescent, abruptly apiculate;

lower paleas present, sometimes reduced;

upper florets stipitate, bisexual, appearing to be mucronate or acuminate;

upper lemmas indurate, usually broadly elliptic to obovate, margins enclosing the edges of the paleas, apices obtuse, somewhat woolly pubescent, usually dark brown at maturity;

upper paleas similar to the lemmas, but saccate below and gibbous above.

1.2-2.5 mm;

lower florets sterile;

upper florets 3.4-4 mm long, 1.9-2.4 mm wide, whitish to brown at maturity;

anthers about 2 mm, white;

stigmas purple.

whitish.

plano-convex, ovoid, or nearly orbicular;

embryo about M as long as the caryopses;

hila oblong to nearly round, x = 9.

= 36.