Flora of North America species comparison

60-200 cm, not forming corms, often branched from the lower nodes;

internodes smooth.

65-200 cm, glabrous, forming corms, corms sessile on the rhizomes;

internodes smooth.

glabrous, sometimes scabridulous, sometimes purplish;

ligules 2.5-9 mm;

blades 2-5 mm wide, abaxial sufaces scabridulous, adaxial surfaces puberulent.

scabridulous to scabrous, sometimes sparsely pilose, particularly at the throat and collar;

ligules 0.8-5 mm;

blades 2-8 mm wide, abaxial surfaces scabridulous, adaxial surfaces with hairs.

12-40 cm;

branches 3.5-9 cm, appressed, with 5-15 spikelets;

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

10-30 cm;

branches 3-11 cm, divergent to reflexed, flexuous, with 1-6 spikelets;

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

9-18 mm, with 3-5 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 1-1.3 mm, not swollen when fresh, not wrinkled when dry.

8-24 mm, with 4-7 bisexual florets, base of the distal florets exposed at anthesis;

rachilla internodes 2-3 mm, not swollen when fresh, not wrinkled when dry.

usually less than 1/2 the length of the spikelets;

lower glumes 3.5-7 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, 5-9-veined;

upper glumes 5-11 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, 5-11-veined;

lemmas 7.5-12.5 mm, glabrous or scabrous, 7-veined, veins inconspicuous, apices rounded to acute, sometimes toothed, unawned or awned, awns to 2 mm;

paleas about as long as the lemmas;

anthers 3, 2.5-4 mm;

rudiments 3-7 mm, tapering, resembling the bisexual florets.

7-12 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, 5-7-veined;

upper glumes 8-15 mm long, 2.5-3.5 mm wide, 5-7-veined;

lemmas 8-11 mm, glabrous, chartaceous for the distal 1/3 or more, 7-9-veined, sometimes purplish basally, veins inconspicuous, apices rounded to acute, unawned;

paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 3, 1-2 mm;

rudiments 2-6 mm, blunt, enclosed in empty lemmas resembling those of the bisexual florets.

3-4 mm.

= 18.

=18.