Flora of North America species comparison

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

1.5-4 m tall, 8-16 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.

crowded at the base;

sheaths glabrous or sparsely pubescent, margins glabrous or ciliate;

ligules 1-3 mm;

blades 30-80 cm long, 15-40 mm wide, adaxial surfaces pubescent near the bases, glabrous elsewhere, midveins whitish, conspicuous both ab- and adaxially.

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.

30-50 cm long, 10-20 cm wide, exserted, dense, ovoid-ellipsoid, white, usually with more than 15 branches;

rachises 25-40 cm, hispid-pubescent, 3/4 - 4/5 as long as the panicles;

branches 10-25 cm long, 8-10 mm wide, often branched at the base;

internodes 3-5 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.

3-3.5 mm, lanceolate to lance-ovate;

callus hairs 4-6 mm, to twice as long as the spikelets, white.

subequal;

lower glumes 3-veined, ciliolate on the margins;

upper glumes 1-veined;

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

glabrous or puberulent distally;

awns of upper lemmas 5-15 mm, weakly geniculate.

pedicels 1.5-2.5 mm;

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

pedicels 1-1.5 mm;

longer pedicels 2.5-3.5 mm, becoming somewhat recurved.

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

= 36, 38, 57.