Flora of North America species comparison

60-160 cm, thickened basally, sometimes appearing cormous;

internodes sometimes pubescent below the nodes.

(4)9-250 cm, sometimes forming a basal corm;

nodes and internodes usually glabrous.

usually glabrous, sometimes pilose or retrorsely scabrous, particularly at the throat, veins often prominent;

ligules 2-4 mm;

blades 15-25 cm long, 5-12 mm wide, both surfaces usually scabridulous, glabrous, sometimes the adaxial surfaces with hairs.

closed almost to the top;

auricles sometimes present;

ligules thinly membranous, erose to lacerate, usually glabrous, those of the lower leaves shorter than those of the upper leaves;

blades flat or folded, glabrous or hairy, particularly on the adaxial surfaces, sometimes scabrous.

12-30 cm;

branches 7-11 cm, spreading to reflexed, with 4-7 spikelets, spikelets restricted to the distal portion, axils frequently with brownish pulvini;

pedicels straight;

disarticulation above the glumes.

terminal panicles;

primary branches often appressed;

secondary branches appressed or divergent;

pedicels either more or less straight or sharply bent below the spikelets, scabrous to strigose distally;

disarticulation below the glumes in species with sharply bent pedicels, above the glumes in other species.

12-18 mm, with 3-5 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 2.5-3 mm.

with 1-7 bisexual florets, terminating in a sterile structure, the rudiment, composed of 1-4 sterile florets;

rudiments sometimes morphologically distinct from the bisexual florets, sometimes similar but smaller.

membranous or chartaceous, distal margins wide, translucent;

lower glumes 1-9-veined;

upper glumes 1-11-veined;

calluses glabrous;

lemmas membranous basally, sometimes becoming coriaceous at maturity, glabrous or with hairs, (4)5-15-veined, usually unawned, sometimes awned, awns to 12 mm, straight;

paleas from 1/2 as long as to almost equaling the lemmas, keels usually ciliate;

lodicules fused into a single, collarlike structure extending 1/2 - 2/3 around the base of the ovaries;

anthers (2)3.

4.5-7 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, 1-3-veined;

upper glumes 6.5-9 mm long, 1.2-1.8 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

lemmas 9.5-12 mm, glabrous or scabrous, 7-veined, apices bifid to emarginate, awned, awns 3-10 mm;

paleas about 2/3 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 1.3-2.5 mm;

rudiments 3.5-6 mm, tapering, resembling the bisexual florets.

usually 2-3 mm, smooth, glabrous, longitudinally furrowed, falling from the floret when mature, x = 9.

= unknown.