Flora of North America species comparison

55-100 cm, not forming corms;

internodes smooth, basal internodes not thickened.

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

internodes smooth.

often scabrous on the keels, otherwise smooth;

ligules 1-7 mm;

blades 2-5 mm wide, both surfaces glabrous, scabridulous.

glabrous, sometimes scabridulous, sometimes purplish;

ligules 2.5-9 mm;

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

13-25 cm;

branches 1-9 cm, straight and appressed or flexible and ascending to strongly divergent, with 1-12 spikelets;

pedicels sharply bent below the spikelets;

disarticulation below the glumes.

12-40 cm;

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

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

8-16 mm long, 1.5-5 mm wide, parallel-sided when mature, with 2-5 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 1.9-2.1 mm.

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

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

green, pale, or purplish-tinged;

lower glumes 3.5-6 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes 5-8 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, 5-veined;

lemmas 6-10 mm, glabrous, chartaceous on the distal 1/3, 5-11-veined, veins conspicuous, apices rounded to acute, unawned;

paleas about 2/3 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 1-2.5 mm;

rudiments 1.8-5 mm, acute to acuminate, 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.

= 18.

= 18.