Flora of North America species comparison

10-60(100) cm, decumbent-ascending, bases somewhat compressed-keeled;

internodes glabrous, shiny below the nodes.

50-150 cm, stout, erect, not rooting at the lower nodes;

internodes mostly glabrous, sometimes puberulent below the nodes.

glabrous, margins hyaline;

ligules 0.2-1 mm, firm, truncate, ciliate, without lateral lobes;

blades 2-7(11) cm long, 1-2.8(4) mm wide, flat, occasionally conduplicate, smooth or scabridulous abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, margins and midveins not conspicuously thickened, greenish, apices acute, not sharp.

shorter or longer than the internodes, glabrous, basal sheaths laterally compressed, keeled, not becoming spirally coiled when old;

ligules 10-35 mm, firm and brown basally, membranous distally, acuminate;

blades 25-55 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, flat or folded, firm, scabridulous abaxially, scabrous and shortly pubescent adaxially.

6-21 cm long, 4-16 cm wide, broadly ovoid, open;

primary branches 3-12 cm, capillary, lower branches spreading 30-90° from the rachises, never appearing fascicled;

pedicels 3-14 mm, longer than the spikelets.

15-50 cm long, 0.6-3 cm wide, often purplish-tinged;

primary branches 0.5-7 cm, appressed or strongly ascending, rarely spreading as much as 20° from the rachises;

pedicels 0.5-1.2 mm, scabrous.

1.2-2.1 mm, occasionally with 2 or 3 florets.

2.4-3.5 mm, light grayish.

equal, 0.6-1.7 mm, purplish, scabridulous, particularly on the veins, 1-veined, apices acute;

lemmas 1.2-2.1 mm, lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, somewhat plumbeous, glabrous, usually smooth, occasionally scabridulous near the apices, apices acute, unawned or mucronate, mucros to 0.3 mm;

paleas 1.2-2.1 mm, lanceolate, glabrous, acute;

anthers 1-1.3 mm, greenish-yellow to purplish at maturity.

equal, 2-3.5 mm, shorter than or equal to the florets, scabrous or smooth, 1-veined, obtuse to acute, occasionally bifid and the teeth to 0.3 mm, unawned, rarely mucronate, mucros less than 0.2 mm;

lemmas 2.4-3.5 mm, lanceolate, scabrous or smooth, rarely puberulent near the base, apices obtuse to acute, unawned or awned, awns to 4 mm, straight;

paleas 2.4-3.5 mm, lanceolate, obtuse;

anthers 1.1-1.5 mm, purplish.

0.8-1 mm, fusiform, brownish.

1.2-1.6 mm, fusiform, reddish-brown.

= 20, 22, 28.

= 20, 26.