Flora of North America species comparison

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

internodes glabrous, shiny below the nodes.

40-100 cm, erect, not conspicuously branched;

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.

longer than the internodes, smooth or scabridulous, basal sheaths rounded, not becoming spirally coiled when old;

ligules (1)3-12(15) mm, firmer basally than distally, obtuse to acute, often lacerate;

blades 12-35 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat or involute, smooth or scabridulous abaxially, scabridulous or hirtellous 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.

10-35 cm long, 2-5(12) cm wide, loosely contracted to open, purplish;

primary branches 0.4-10 cm, lax, capillary, usually appressed to ascending, occasionally diverging up to 80° from the rachises, naked basally;

pedicels 1-10 mm.

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

3.5-5 mm, purplish.

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, 1-1.7(2) mm, exceeded by the florets, usually glabrous, sometimes mostly hirtellous but glabrous distally, 1-veined, obtuse to subacute, unawned;

lemmas 3.5-5 mm, narrowly lanceolate, purplish, calluses hairy, hairs to 0.5 mm, lemma bodies scabridulous to scabrous, apices acuminate, awned, awns 10-22 mm, clearly demarcated from the lemma bodies, flexuous;

paleas 3.5-5 mm, narrowly lanceolate, scabridulous, acuminate;

anthers 1.7-2.3 mm, purplish.

0.8-1 mm, fusiform, brownish.

2-3.5 mm, fusiform, brownish.

= 20, 22, 28.

= 40, 44.