Flora of North America species comparison

10-100 cm, weak, trailing on the ground, branching.

to 90 cm, mostly decumbent and rooting at the nodes, distal 15-35 cm ascending when flowering;

nodes usually pubescent;

internodes usually pubescent along 1 side (sometimes glabrous).

conspicuously ciliate on the margins;

ligules 0.4-1.6(2.3) mm, ciliate;

blades (0.6)1.3-11.5 cm long, 2-20 mm wide, glabrous, scabrous, or pubescent, margin(s) usually undu-lating.

cauline;

ligules membranous and ciliate, or of hairs;

blades lanceolate.

(1.5)2.5-16.5 cm, with 2-10 primary branches;

branches 0.1-2.5 cm.

terminal, panicles of unilateral branches, spikelets paired (but the first spikelet sometimes reduced), rachises and branches terminating in a spikelet;

branches 0.1-7 cm, persistent;

disarticulation below the glumes.

dorsally compressed, not sunken into the rachis, lacking subtending bristles, with 2 florets.

2.2-3.5(4.5) mm;

calluses shortly pubescent at the base awns usually purplish.

awned;

upper glumes not ciliate on the margins, unawned or with awns shorter than those of the lower glumes, awns of both glumes often becoming viscid;

lower florets sterile or staminate;

lower lemmas acute to shortly awned;

lower paleas present or absent;

upper florets bisexual;

upper lemmas papery to leathery, glabrous, smooth, unawned, white or yellow at maturity;

upper paleas similar to the upper lemmas, x = 9.

1.5-3 mm, scabridulous and/or pubescent, 3-5-veined, awns (1.6)3.2-14.5 mm;

upper glumes 1.5-2.5 mm, sparsely pubescent, 5-7-veined, awns 0.8-6(10) mm;

lower florets usually sterile, occasionally staminate;

lower lemmas 2.2-3.1 mm, sparsely pubescent above, (5)7-9-veined, awns 0.1-1.2 mm;

lower paleas absent or to 2.3 mm, hyaline;

upper lemmas (2.1)2.3-3 mm, glabrous, weakly cartilaginous, white to cream-colored;

anthers 3, 1.3-1.7 mm.

1.7-1.8 mm long, 0.5-0.9 mm wide, glabrous.

= 36, (54), 72, (90).