Flora of North America species comparison

60-200 cm tall, 3-7 mm thick below.

predominantly basal;

sheaths mostly glabrous, throats pilose;

ligules 1-2 mm;

blades 20-70 cm long, 6-20 mm wide, midveins conspicuous abaxially, 1-2 mm wide, whitish.

15-25 cm long, 8-28 cm wide, dense to loose, usually with more than 15 branches;

rachises 6-15 cm, 1/3 – 2/3 as long as the inflorescences;

branches 8-15(30) cm long, about 10 mm wide, sometimes branched at the base;

internodes 4-8 mm, glabrous.

3.5-7 mm, lanceolate to lance-ovate;

callus hairs 6-12 mm, to twice as long as the spikelets, white, stramineous to reddish.

subequal;

lower glumes 3-veined, ciliolate on the margins;

upper glumes 1-veined;

awns of upper lemmas 6-12 mm, geniculate below.

pedicels 1.5-2.5 mm;

longer pedicels 3.5-6 mm, slightly recurved at maturity.

= 38, 40, and dysploids from 35-42.