Flora of North America species comparison

(10)50-140 cm, stout, stiffly erect, branched from the middle and lower nodes;

lower nodes sericeous;

lower internodes sericeous, hairs papillose-based, upper internodes sometimes glabrous.

40-120 cm tall, 2-3 mm thick, decumbent to erect, branching from the base and the middle nodes;

nodes pilose, hairs spreading;

internodes hirsute, hairs papillose-based.

rounded, glabrous or sparsely to densely hispid, hairs not fragile and prickly, not causing skin irritation, margins ciliate;

ligules 1-3 mm;

blades 3-60 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, flat or involute, ascending, adaxial surfaces densely hirsute basally, less densely so elsewhere, bases attenuate, apices acute.

usually shorter than the internodes, hirsute, lower sheaths more so than those above, hairs papillose-based;

collars densely pilose;

ligules 0.5-4 mm;

blades 16-55 cm long, 0.5-14 mm wide, erect to ascending, abaxial surfaces hirsute, hairs papillose-based, adaxial surfaces densely pilose, midveins prominent and whitish, bases truncate, margins ciliate basally, apices attenuate.

(4)15-40 cm long, (3)10-25 cm wide, about 1/3 – 1/2 as long as the plants, open, breaking at the base of the peduncles at maturity and dispersed as tumbleweeds, secondary branching mostly confined to the distal 1/3 of the primary branches;

rachises densely hispid or glabrous;

lower primary branches in whorls of 4-7, stiffly spreading, naked on the lower 1/2;

pedicels 3-20 mm, appressed.

2-3 mm long, 0.8-1.2 mm wide, glabrous.

2.6-3.4 mm long, 0.9-1.2 mm wide, ovoid, glabrous.

1-1.6 mm, 5-veined, acuminate;

upper glumes and lower lemmas similar, 2-2.8 mm, 7-9-veined, exceeding the upper florets by about 0.3 mm;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas 1.4-2.2 mm;

upper florets 1.5-1.9 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, smooth, chestnut brown at maturity.

1.4-1.7 mm, to 1/2 as long as the spikelets, acute, 5-7-veined;

upper glumes and lower lemmas similar, exceeding the upper florets by 0.7-0.9 mm, 9-13-veined;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas 0.5-1.3 mm;

upper lorets 1.7-2.3 mm long, 0.8-1.1 mm wide, smooth, ovoid.

panicles 7-35 cm long, 5-23 cm wide, about 1/2 as wide as long, shortly exerted or partially included, lax, open;

axillary panicles smaller, included basally;

primary branches diverging, lower branches solitary, upper branches solitary to subverticillate;

secondary branching primarily in the distal 1/3;

pedicels 1-4 mm, clavate, spreading to appressed.

= 36.

= unknown.