Flora of North America species comparison

8-100 cm tall, about 1 mm thick, erect to decumbent, simple to profusely branched;

nodes sparsely to densely pilose.

50-200 cm tall, 2-3(5) mm thick, with cormlike bases, slightly compressed, erect or geniculate at the lower nodes;

nodes glabrous or pilose;

internodes slightly compressed, glabrous.

longer or shorter than the internodes, keeled, glabrous or pilose, hairs papillose-based near the throat;

ligules 0.5-2 mm, membranous, dissected ciliate;

blades (6)20-65 cm long, 2-15 mm wide, flat, adaxial surfaces glabrous or densely pubescent, particularly basally, occasionally pubescent on both surfaces, hairs papillose-based, bases subcordate to rounded.

often crowded basally;

sheaths rounded, usually longer than the internodes, hispid, hairs papillose-based, to 5 mm;

ligules 0.5-1.5 mm;

blades 3-30 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, linear, ascending to erect, flat, hirsute to sparsely pilose, greenish or purplish, bases truncate to subcordate and ciliate on the margins, apices acute.

7-27 cm long, 4-24 cm wide, 1/4 - 1/3 as long as the plants, diffuse, usually exserted at anthesis, not breaking at the base of the peduncles to become a tumbleweed;

rachises glabrous or sparsely pilose basally;

primary branches spreading, secondary branches and pedicels confined to the distal 2/3 secondary branches diverging to appressed, with 1-4 spikelets;

pedicels 3-15 mm, spreading to appressed, scabrous or hirsute;

pulvini glabrous or pilose.

9-50 cm long, 1.5-12 cm wide, open;

branches opposite and alternate, straight or flexible, strongly ascending to reflexed;

pedicels 0.5-5 mm, scabridulous, divergent.

1.4-2.4 mm long, 0.5-0.7 mm wide, usually green, glabrous.

2.8-4.2(5.4) mm long, 1-2 mm wide, ellipsoid or lanceoloid, often purplish, glabrous, acute or obtuse.

0.5-0.9 mm, usually less than 1/2 as long as the spikelets, 3-4-veined, truncate to acuminate;

upper glumes 1.6-2 mm, 7-veined, veins not prominent;

lower lemmas 1.6-1.9 mm, 7-9-veined, veins not prominent;

lower paleas absent;

lower florets sterile;

upper florets 1.5-1.7 mm long, about 0.4 mm wide, often dark brown, sometimes disarticulating, apices minutely papillose.

1.2-3.5 mm, 1/2 - 4/5 as long as the spikelets, 3-5-veined;

upper glumes often longer than the lower lemmas, glabrous, 5-7-veined;

lower florets sterile or staminate;

lower lemmas glabrous;

lower paleas 3-4 mm, sometimes longer than the lower lemmas;

upper florets 3-4 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, equaling or surpassing the lower lemmas, dull, pale, finely transversely rugose, lemma apices puberulent.

= 18.

= 36, 54, 70, 72.