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.

20-60 cm tall, 0.8-1.2 mm thick, shortly decumbent to geniculate basally, erect distally;

nodes glabrous;

internodes glabrous.

shorter or longer than the internodes, rounded, smooth, glabrous;

ligules about 1 mm;

blades 5-15 cm long, 2-8 mm wide, flat, linear, glabrous or with a few marginal cilia near the base, bases contracted, apices long-acute.

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.

10-20 cm long, 6-12 cm wide, exserted or partially included;

primary branches alternate, ascending to strongly divergent, developing secondary branches in the basal 1/3 – 1/2, pedicels 4-9 mm, ascending.

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

2.7-3.2 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, ovoid-ellipsoid, green tinged with purple, glaucous, glabrous, acute.

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.

0.7-1.1 mm, about 2/5 as long as the spikelets, acute to attenuate;

upper glumes and lower lemmas similar, equaling the spikelets, 11-13-veined, tapering to apiculate apices;

lower paleas 1-2 mm;

lower florets sterile;

upper florets about 2.2 mm, ellipsoid, smooth, shiny, yellow at maturity, apices acute.

= 18.

= 54.