Flora of North America species comparison

45-100 cm, forming corms, corms connected to the rhizomes by a rootlike, 10-30 mm structure, which usually remains attached to the corm;

internodes smooth.

40-120 cm, not forming corms;

internodes smooth.

usually glabrous, often pilose at the throat and collar;

ligules 0.1-2 mm;

blades 2-5 mm wide, abaxial surfaces scabridulous over the veins, adaxial surfaces usually glabrous.

glabrous, scabrous, sometimes sparsely pilose;

ligules 2.5-5 mm;

blades 5.5-15 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, often sparsely pilose on both surfaces.

5-26 cm;

branches 2-5 cm, usually appressed, sometimes divergent and flexuous, with 2-3 spikelets;

pedicels not sharply bent;

disarticulation above the glumes.

10-26 cm;

branches 4-6 cm, appressed or strongly ascending, with 1-4 spikelets per branch;

pedicels not sharply bent;

disarticulation above the glumes.

7-19 mm, with 3-7 bisexual florets, base of the distal florets concealed at anthesis;

rachilla internodes 1-2 mm, not swollen when fresh, not wrinkled when dry.

11-21 mm, with (2)3-5 bisexual florets;

rachilla internodes 3.4-3.8 mm.

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

lower glumes 3.5-6.4 mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide, 1-3-veined;

upper glumes 5-7 mm long, 2.3-3.5 mm wide, 5-7-veined;

lemmas 6-9 mm, glabrous, scabridulous, 5-11-veined, veins inconspicuous, apices rounded to acute, unawned;

paleas about 73 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 1.5-3 mm;

rudiments 1.5-3.5 mm, acute, distinct from the bisexual florets, sometimes surrounded by a small sterile floret similar in shape to the bisexual florets.

9-11 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes 11-12 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, 5-7-veined;

lemmas 8-13 mm, with 0.3-0.6 mm hairs on the marginal veins, glabrous or with hairs to 0.1 mm elsewhere, 5-7-veined, veins prominent, apices bifid to emarginate, awned from the sinuses, awns 5-12 mm;

paleas about 3/4 the length of the lemmas;

anthers 2, 2-3 mm;

rudiments 2.5-6 mm, tapering, resembling the bisexual florets.

5-6 mm.

= 18.

=18.