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.

100-150 cm, erect, succulent, with short innovations;

nodes glabrous;

internodes glabrous.

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.

compressed, not keeled, overlapping but narrow, exposing the nodes, bladeless and glabrous or sparsely pilose below the water;

ligules 1-2 mm, membranous, ciliate;

blades 1-30 cm long, 2-4 mm wide, narrow, linear, flat or folded, abaxial surfaces sparsely pubescent, adaxial surfaces sparsely pilose.

(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.

10-30 cm, open, with many spikelets;

primary branches fascicled at the base of the panicles, solitary and distant distally;

pedicels 1-4 mm, sharply 3-angled, appressed.

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

2-2.2 mm, 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.

truncate to broadly triangular, 1/4 as long as the spikelets, 3-veined;

lower paleas absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas equal, slightly exceeding the upper florets, 5- or 7-veined, pointed;

lower florets sterile;

upper florets relatively thin, smooth.

= 36.

= unknown.