Flora of North America species comparison

20-210 cm, stout, not woody;

nodes puberulent;

internodes usually with papillose-based hairs, sometimes nearly glabrous, not succulent.

35-150 cm, stout, compressed.

more or less strongly compressed or keeled, sides usually glabrous or sparsely pubescent distally;

ligules 0.3-3 mm, membranous, erose or ciliate, cilia often themselves fimbriate;

blades 8-50 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, flat or folded, both surfaces usually glabrous or scabridulous, or the adaxial surfaces sparsely pilose basally.

numerous;

sheaths terete, densely pilose, with papillose-based and caducous hairs;

ligules membranous, ciliate, cilia 1-3 mm;

blades 15-40 cm long, 7-25 mm wide.

6-20 cm long, 4-11 cm wide, included or shortly exserted at maturity, dense;

branches stiff, appressed to spreading, spikelets solitary, confined to the distal portions;

pedicels 1-9 mm, scabrous and sparsely pilose.

terminal and axillary, 9-40 cm, 1/3 – 3/4 as wide as long, usually dense; ultimate branchlets usually appressed, 1-sided, scabridulous;

pedicels 0.5-1.5 mm, usually appressed, sometimes with 1-several slender hairs at the apices.

4-6 mm, ovoid, usually glabrous.

usually 1.6-3.8 mm, usually subsessile, lanceolate, green, purple-tinged, or purple, glabrous.

2.8-3.6 mm, 1/2 - 3/4 as long as the spikelets, 5-7-veined, veins scabridulous distally, apices attenuate;

upper glumes 4-5.1 mm, slightly exceeding the upper florets, 11-13(15)-veined, veins scabridulous distally;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas 4-4.8 mm, slightly exceeding the upper florets, 9-13-veined, veins scabridulous distally;

lower paleas 1.2-1.6 mm, 1/2 or less the length of the upper florets, truncate to bilobed;

upper florets 3-3.8 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, smooth or striate, more or less shiny, stramineous to orange, red-brown, or blackish, persisting in the spikelets or disarticulating at maturity.

2/5 – 3/4 as long as the spikelets, 3-veined, midveins keeled;

upper glumes and lower lemmas subequal or the glumes slightly longer, often spreading slightly apart at the apices, midveins keeled, usually scabridulous apically;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas to 2/3 as long as the lower lemmas;

upper florets 1.4-2 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, 2/5 – 3/4 as long as the spikelets, occasionally stipitate, lustrous, with a tuft of minute, thickish hairs at the apices;

upper lemmas thick, stiff, clasping the upper paleas throughout their length.

= 36, 40, 42, 49, 54, 72.

=18.