Flora of North America species comparison

20-250 cm tall, 3-10 mm thick, erect or decumbent, simple or branched from the lower nodes;

nodes glabrous;

internodes glabrous, glaucous.

2-8 cm, erect-spreading;

nodes 1-2, hispid;

internodes pilose, hairs papillose-based.

shorter or longer than the internodes, not keeled, glabrous;

collars often glaucous and purplish;

ligules 1-5 mm;

blades 7-50 cm long, 2-13 mm wide, erect or ascending, firm, thick, flat basally, more or less involute towards the apices.

rounded, much longer than the internodes, with prominent veins, hispid, hairs papillose-based;

ligules 0.2-0.4 mm, membranous, ciliate;

blades 1-4 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, flat or involute apically, glabrous basally, margins ciliate, cilia papillose-based.

10-80 cm long, 2-17 cm wide, contracted, slightly nodding;

primary branches whorled or opposite, strongly ascending to appressed;

pedicels 0.5-15 mm, appressed to slightly divergent.

congested, partially included in the sheaths, less than 1.5 times longer than wide;

branches ascending, narrow;

primary branches appressed to the main axes, secondary branches and pedicels attached to the distal 2/3;

pedicels appressed, 1-2 mm.

4-7.7 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, narrowly ovoid, glabrous, acuminate;

lower florets staminate.

2-2.2 mm long, 1-1.3 mm wide, plump-ellipsoid, glabrous.

and lower lemmas relatively thick;

lower glumes 2.8-4 mm, 1/2 - 4/5 as long as the spikelets, 3-9-veined, apices of the midveins sometimes scabridulous;

upper glumes and lower lemmas extending 1.5-3 mm beyond the upper florets, apices stiffly gaping;

upper glumes 3.9-7.6 mm, 5-9-veined;

lower lemmas slightly shorter than the upper glumes, 7-9-veined, lower paleas 3-7 mm, oblong-hastate, folded over the anthers;

lower florets staminate;

upper florets 2.4-3.9 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, narrowly ovoid to oblong, glabrous, smooth, shiny, lemma margins clasping the paleas only at the base.

glumes 1.2-1.3 mm, acute to attenuate;

upper glumes and lower lemmas 2-2.2 mm, 7-9-veined, apices purplish, acute;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas 0.2-0.4 mm;

upper florets 1.4-1.8 mm long, about 1 mm wide, broadly ovoid.

= 36, 54.