Flora of North America species comparison

5-170 cm, hollow.

60-200;

cm, erect, compressed, unbranched;

internodes hollow.

glabrous or scabrous;

ligules 2-8 mm, membranous, attenuate, becoming lacerate at maturity;

blades 3-50 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, glabrous or scabrous, those of the flag leaves sometimes exceeding the panicles.

pubescent;

ligules 0.5-1 mm, shortly ciliate;

blades 25-50 cm long, 2.8-5.5 mm wide, ascending to reflexed, adaxial surfaces usually sparsely pilose behind the ligules, otherwise both surfaces glabrous.

(1.5)10-105 cm long, 0.5-22 cm wide, with 3-35 racemose branches, bases of the panicles sometimes remaining enclosed in the upper leaf sheaths at maturity;

branches 1.5-20(22) cm, ascending to reflexed.

to 53 cm, with 5-20 digitate branches;

secondary panicles not present in the lower sheaths;

branches 7-17 cm, steeply ascending but drooping at the apices.

5-12(14) mm, with 6-20 florets.

4.5-5 mm, imbricate, green to straw-colored, with 3-4 florets.

ovate, acute;

lower glumes 1.3-2.6 mm;

upper glumes 2.2-3.7 mm;

lemmas 2.8-3.8 mm, lanceolate to ovate, chartaceous, lateral veins sericeous, apices acute to slightly obtuse, minutely emarginate, mucronate;

paleas ciliolate over the veins;

anthers 1, 0.4-0.6 mm.

1-3(4.9) mm;

upper glumes 1.8-5.5 mm;

lemmas 2-6 mm, sometimes with a dark spot near the base, apices acute to truncate, sometimes emarginate to bifid, unawned, mucronate, or awned;

paleas somewhat sericeous along the veins;

anthers 1-3, 0.2-2.7 mm.

0.8-2.4 mm, elliptic to ovate or obovate.

0.9-1.8 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide, triangular in cross section.

= 20.

= unknown.