Flora of North America species comparison

10-75 cm, about 1 mm thick, simple or with erect basal branches;

nodes densely pilose, hairs ascending;

internodes glabrous or shortly pubescent distally.

20-80 cm, often in small clumps, compressed, erect or decumbent, glaucous;

lower nodes pubescent;

upper nodes glabrous.

longer than the internodes, green to purplish, hispid, margins sparsely ciliate;

ligules 0.5-1.5 mm;

blades 3-32 cm long, 1-7 mm wide, ascending to erect, linear, narrowing basally, flat or the margins involute, surfaces sparsely hirsute or pilose (rarely glabrous), hairs near the base papillose-based, margins prominent, apices acute.

5-45 cm long, 1-6 cm wide, at least 1/2 as long as the plants and 3 times longer than wide, open;

rachises glabrous;

primary branches usually alternate or subopposite, ascending to slightly divergent, secondary branches and pedicels attached to the distal 2/3;

secondary branches diverging;

pedicels 0.5-17 mm, ascending to appressed.

5-15 cm long, 0.8-1.5 cm wide;

branches 2-6, spikelike, erect, puberulent, 3-angled; ultimate branchlets 1-sided;

pedicels paired, congested, shorter pedicels 0.1-1 mm, longer pedicels 1.5-2.5 mm.

2.5 - 3.7 mm long, 0.6-1.1 mm wide, narrowly ovoid, glabrous, acute;

lower glumes 0.8-1.3 mm, 1/3 – 1/2 as long as the spikelets, acuminate;

upper glumes 2.3-3.3 mm, 7-9-veined, exceeding the upper florets by about 0.6 mm;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas 2.2-2.7 mm, exceeding the upper florets by about 0.6 mm, 7- or 9-veined, apices scabridulous, pointed;

lower paleas absent;

upper florets 1.6-1.7 mm long, about 0.6 mm wide, usually smooth, usually pale, sometimes becoming dark at maturity.

2.8-4.4 mm, ellipsoid, terete to slightly laterally compressed, glabrous, obtuse.

about 3/4 as long as the spikelets, 5- or 7-veined;

upper glumes and lower lemmas equaling the spikelets, 5-9-veined;

lower florets staminate;

lower paleas 2.5-3.5 mm;

upper florets puberulent at the bases and apices.

sheaths ascending, pubescent to pilose;

upper sheaths glabrous;

ligules 0.2-2 mm, membranous, truncate, irregularly denticulate;

blades 3-26 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, ascending, firm, glaucous, sparsely pilose near the base, often scabrous on the margins, involute towards the apices.

= 18.

= 20, 36, 40.