Flora of North America species comparison

14-100 cm, not forming corms;

internodes smooth.

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

internodes smooth.

glabrous or scabrous;

ligules 2.5-7 mm;

blades 1.2-3 mm wide, abaxial surfaces glabrous, 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.

5-25 cm;

branches 1-5 cm, appressed to reflexed, straight, with 2-9 spikelets;

pedicels sharply bent below the spikelets;

disarticulation below the glumes.

10-30 cm;

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

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

6-8 mm, with 1 bisexual floret.

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.

5.5-8 mm long, 1.8-3 mm wide, 5-veined;

upper glumes 5-8 mm long, 0.7-1.5 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

lemmas 4.5-8 mm, 9-15-veined, veins prominent, tuberculate, proximal portion with flat, twisted hairs, distal portion glabrous, chartaceous, apices emarginate to acute, unawned;

paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 1.5-3 mm;

rudiments 2-3 mm, obovoid or obconic, clublike, not resembling the bisexual florets.

3-4 mm.

= 18.

=18.