Flora of North America species comparison

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

internodes glabrous, shiny below the nodes.

60-130 cm, stout, erect;

internodes mostly smooth, sometimes scabridulous 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, smooth or scabridulous, not becoming spirally coiled, basal sheaths rounded;

ligules 10-30 mm, firm and brown basally, membranous distally, acuminate to obtuse;

blades (10)20-65 cm long, 3-6 mm wide, flat or inrolled at the margins, scabrous abaxially, scabridulous or smooth 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.

15-55 cm long, 1-15 cm wide, contracted to open, greenish-tan to purplish;

primary branches 3-13 cm, narrowly ascending or diverging up to 60° from the rachises, stiff, spikelet-bearing to the base, lower branches with 30-60 spikelets;

pedicels 0.1-2.5 mm, usually shorter than the spikelets, scabridulous or smooth, strongly divergent.

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

2-3.5 mm.

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.

subequal, 2-3.5 mm, usually longer than the florets, scabridulous or smooth, 1(2)-veined, acute to acuminate, usually unawned, rarely awned, awns to 0.2 mm;

lemmas 2-2.9 mm, oblong-elliptic, tan to purplish, smooth or scabridulous, apices acute, often bifid, teeth to 0.2 mm, unawned or awned, awns to 2 mm;

paleas 2-3 mm, oblong-elliptic, scabridulous or smooth, acute;

anthers 1-2.1 mm, yellowish to purplish.

0.8-1 mm, fusiform, brownish.

1.1-1.5 mm, fusiform, reddish-brown.

= 20, 22, 28.

= 22, 24, 29, 30.