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.

100-300 cm tall, 4-10 mm thick, decumbent, semi-woody at the base, simple or branching from the middle nodes, prophylls prominent, to 15 cm;

nodes contracted, pilose, sericeous;

internodes glabrous or with papillose-based hairs below the nodes.

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.

shorter or longer than the internodes, rounded, sparsely hispid, hairs papillose-based, thick, fragile, penetrating and irritating the skin when handled, margins glabrous or ciliate;

collars more densely pubescent than the sheaths, hairs papillose-based;

ligules 1.5-2 mm, with longer hairs immediately behind, growing from the base of the blades;

blades 20-50 cm long, 15-40 mm wide, spreading, flat or with involute margins, bases subcordate to cordate, margins glabrous or sparsely hairy.

(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.

terminal, 25-45 cm long, 5-15 cm wide, lax, contracted to diffuse, not breaking at the base and becoming tumbleweeds, all or most secondary branches confined to the distal 1/3;

lower branches whorled;

pedicels 0.5-2 mm, appressed.

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

1.8-2.5 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, narrowly ellipsoid, 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.

0.7-1.4 mm, about 1/2 as long as the spikelets, 3-5-veined, acute to attenuate;

upper glumes and lower lemmas subequal, about as long as the spikelets, 7-11-veined;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas 1.3-1.7 mm;

upper florets 1.2-1.6 mm long, 0.5-0.7 mm wide, glabrous, smooth, shiny, chestnut brown to dark brown.

= 36.

= 36.