Flora of North America species comparison

30-100 cm tall, 0.4-0.7 mm thick, bases somewhat bulblike, erect, geniculate and often branching intra-vaginally at the lower cauline nodes, internodes glabrous;

nodes 5-8+, glabrous.

10-175(210) cm, sometimes branched at the upper nodes, branches flexible;

prophylls not evident, shorter than the sheaths.

mostly glabrous, throats sometimes ciliate;

collars sparsely hairy, with tufts of hair at the sides, hairs 0.5-1.3 mm;

ligules 0.2-0.3 mm, truncate, usually ciliate;

blades 3-10 cm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, strongly convolute, stiff, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces with coarse hairs.

mostly basal, not overwintering;

sheaths open;

cleistogenes sometimes present;

auricles absent;

ligules membranous, sometimes pubescent or ciliate;

blades of basal leaves 3-60 cm long, 0.2-8 mm wide, apices narrowly acute to acute, not sharp, flag leaf blades 1-80 mm, bases about as wide as the top of the sheaths.

2-20 cm;

branches 0.4-1.2 cm, with 1-4 spikelets;

pedicels 0.5-4 mm.

terminal panicles, sometimes partially included at maturity.

3-22 mm, with 1 floret;

rachillas not prolonged beyond the base of the floret;

disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the floret.

subequal, 3-4.5 mm long, 1.1-1.6 mm wide, ovate, 3-veined, glabrous or puberulent, acuminate;

florets 1.6-2.2 mm long, 0.6-0.9 mm wide, obovate to oblong, terete, widest near the top;

calluses 0.2-0.3 mm, obtuse, glabrous;

lemmas glabrous, smooth, lustrous, transition to the crown not evident;

crowns about 0.1 mm long and wide, not differing in texture from the lemmas;

awns 7-10 mm, eccentric, rapidly deciduous;

anthers about 1 mm or 0.3-0.4 mm, florets with longer anthers presumably chasmogamous, those with shorter anthers presumably cleistogamous.

longer than the floret, narrowly lanceolate or ovate, basal portion usually purplish at anthesis, color fading with age, (1)3-5-veined, sometimes awned;

florets usually terete, sometimes slightly laterally compressed;

calluses blunt or sharp, glabrous or antrorsely strigose;

lemmas usually papillose or tuberculate, at least distally, sometimes smooth throughout, glabrous or variously hairy, strongly convolute, wrapping 1.2-1.5 times around the caryopses, apices not lobed, fused distally into crowns, these often evident by their pale color and constricted bases;

crowns mostly glabrous, rims often bearing hairs with bulbous bases;

awns terminal, centric or eccentric, deciduous or persistent, usually twice-geniculate, second geniculation often obscure;

paleas up to 1/2 as long as the lemmas, glabrous, without veins, flat;

lodicules 2 or 3, if 3, the third somewhat shorter than the other 2;

anthers 1 or 3, if 3, often of 2 lengths, penicillate;

ovaries glabrous;

styles 2, bases free.

about 1 mm.

glabrous, not ribbed;

hila elongate;

embryos to 2/5 as long as the caryopses.

= 7, 8.

= 42.