Flora of North America species comparison

11-110 cm, erect to decumbent;

nodes shortly hirsute or glabrous.

(6)25-100 cm, 0.5-3.5 mm thick, spreading to weakly ascending, usually freely branching;

nodes pilose, hairs spreading to ascending;

internodes pilose, with papillose-based hairs, or sparsely hispid.

shorter than the internodes, greenish to purplish, glabrous or with papillose-based hairs, ciliate on 1 margin, glabrous on the other;

collars hirsute;

ligules 1.5-3.5 mm, of hairs;

blades 3-30 cm long, 3-30 mm wide, flat, usually hirsute or sparsely pubescent, hairs papillose-based, sometimes glabrous, bases rounded to cordate-clasping, margins ciliate, cilia papillose-based, apices acute.

rounded, glabrous, margins shortly ciliate distally;

ligules 0.6-4 mm, of hairs;

blades (3)6-15 cm long, 1-5 mm wide, spreading, abaxial surfaces sparsely hirsute, adaxial surfaces more densely so, hairs papillose-based, midribs prominent and not white, margins involute, bases cuneate, apices subulate.

9-30 cm long, 5-8 cm wide, erect or nodding, partially included to well-exserted, rachises glabrous or sparsely hispid basally;

primary branches usually alternate to opposite, divergent, secondary branches and pedicels confined to the distal 2/3;

pulvini inconspicuous;

secondary branches appressed;

pedicels 9-27 mm, appressed.

1.9-4 mm long, 0.8-1 mm wide, ovoid to almost spherical, often reddish-brown, glabrous, veins prominent, scabridulous, apices abruptly acuminate.

2.1-2.9 mm long, 0.8-1 mm wide, glabrous.

1.3-2.4 mm, 1/2 - 3/4 as long as the spikelets, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes 1.8-3.3 mm, 7-11-veined;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas similar to the upper glumes, 9-veined;

lower paleas 0.4-0.9 mm;

upper florets 1.5-2.4 mm long, 0.4-0.8 mm wide, ellipsoid, smooth or conspicuously papillate, shiny, stramineous, often with a lunate scar at the base.

1-1.2 mm, to 1/2 as long as the spikelets, attenuate, 5-9-veined, veins anastomosing apically;

upper glumes and lower lemmas similar, extending about 0.5 mm beyond the upper florets, 11-13-veined;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas 1-1.3 mm;

upper florets 1.5-1.8 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, smooth.

panicles 3-35 cm long, about 1/2 as wide, shortly exserted;

axillary panicles smaller, not fully exserted;

rachises scabridulous;

primary branches usually solitary, sometimes paired, divergent and widely spaced, secondary branching mostly on the distal 1/3 of the primary branches;

pedicels 1-4 mm, spreading to appressed, confined to the distal portions of the secondary branches.

= 36.