Flora of North America species comparison

30-70 cm tall, 0.7-1 mm thick, erect, geniculate and rooting at the lower nodes;

internodes mostly glabrous, sometimes glaucous, often striate below the nodes.

(50)80-150 cm, stout, erect, not conspicuously branched;

internodes smooth for most of their length, smooth or scabridulous below the nodes.

usually shorter than the internodes, smooth or scabridulous, usually with dark brown necrotic spots, flat and spreading at maturity;

ligules 1-2.5(5) mm, membranous, obtuse, with lateral lobes 1.5-3 mm longer than the central portion;

blades (1)5-12(15) cm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, flat to involute, glabrous and smooth abaxially, scabridulous adaxially, often with dark brown necrotic spots.

shorter or longer than the internodes, glabrous or puberulent, basal sheaths laterally compressed, usually keeled;

ligules 10-25 mm, membranous throughout, acuminate, lacerate;

blades 20-50 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, flat or folded, scabrous abaxially, smooth or scabridulous adaxially.

(2)5-15 cm long, 0.5-2.8 cm wide, contracted, interrupted below;

primary branches 0.5-4(6) cm, appressed or diverging up to 30° from the rachises, spikelet-bearing to the base;

pedicels 0.1-3 mm, scabrous.

20-45 cm long, 3-15 cm wide, loosely contracted to open, light purplish to light brownish;

primary branches 1-17 cm, lax, loosely appressed or diverging up to 70° from the rachises, naked basally;

pedicels 0.5-3 mm, smooth or scabridulous.

3.5-5.5 mm, occasionally with 2 florets.

2.2-3.2 mm.

equal, 1.5-3.5 mm, shorter than the lemmas, 1-veined, acuminate to acute, often erose, unawned or awned, awns to 2.2 mm;

lemmas 3-5.5 mm, lanceolate, often purplish, mostly glabrous, calluses with a few short hairs, apices acuminate, scabridulous, awned, awns (5)7-25 mm, flexuous;

paleas 3-5.5 mm, lanceolate, glabrous, acuminate;

anthers 1.5-2.1 mm, yellowish or purplish.

subequal, 2.2-3.2 mm, exceeding the florets, scabridulous to scabrous, faintly 1-veined, acute to obtuse, usually unawned, occasionally awned, awns to 0.2 mm;

lemmas 2-3 mm, oblong-elliptic, shortly pubescent on the lower 1/2 - 3/4, apices acute, usually awned, sometimes unawned, awns to 15 mm, flexuous, purplish;

paleas 1.8-2.9 mm, oblong-elliptic, acute;

anthers 1.2-1.6 mm, yellowish to purplish.

2-2.5 mm, fusiform, brownish.

1.3-1.6 mm, fusiform, reddish-brown.

= unknown.

= 24, 26, 28, 40, 42, 46, 60, 64.