Flora of North America species comparison

20-90 cm tall, 1.8-2.8 mm thick, erect, rigid, simple or branching from the lower and middle nodes;

nodes glabrous or sparsely hispid;

internodes glabrous.

30-75 cm tall, 1-2 mm thick, terete to slightly compressed, erect or ascending, stiff, often bent at the nodes, simple or sparingly branched;

nodes densely pubescent.

generally shorter than the internodes, not keeled, lower nodes glabrous or hispid, hairs papillose-based, particularly near the summits;

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades 3-25 cm long, 2-8 mm wide, often distichous, flat to slightly involute, firm, adaxial surfaces pilose basally, glabrous or sparsely pubescent abaxially.

shorter than or equaling the internodes, rounded, hirsute, green or tinged with purple, margins ciliate;

ligules 0.5-1 mm;

blades 12-30 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, stiffly erect or ascending, flat, pubescent, sometimes sparsely so, hairs papillose-based, bases truncate, apices attenuate.

3-24 cm long, usually less than 5 cm wide, open;

primary branches 2-11 cm, alternate, few, stiffly ascending to spreading;

pedicels 1-6 mm, subappressed.

terminal, 15-30 cm long, 10-12(26) cm wide, usually shortly exserted, scarcely overtopping the blades;

rachises hispid, sometimes glabrous basally;

primary branches alternate or opposite, divergent, secondary branches divergent, most abundant on the distal 1/3 of the primary branches, with 1-3 spikelets;

pedicels 2-20 mm, confined to the distal 1/3 of the branches;

pulvini poorly developed, shortly pilose.

2.2-2.8 mm long, 0.8-1.3 mm wide, ellipsoid-ovoid, pale green, acute, upper glumes and lower lemmas sometimes separating (gaping) beyond the florets.

5-6.5 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, glabrous, long-acuminate.

0.5-1 mm, 1/5 – 2/5 as long as the spikelets, glabrous, faintly 1-5-veined, subtruncate to broadly acute;

upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous, extending 0.1-0.5 mm beyond the upper florets, scarcely separated;

upper glumes 7-11-veined, shorter than the lower lemmas, acute to short-acuminate;

lower florets staminate;

lower lemmas 7-11-veined;

lower paleas 1.9-2.1 mm, oblong;

upper florets 1.8-2.7 mm long, 0.7-1.3 mm wide, broadly ellipsoid, broadest at or above the middle, glabrous, shiny, smooth, apices rounded.

2-3 mm, about 1/2 as long as the spikelets, attached about 0.4 mm below the upper glumes, 5-7-veined, acute to obtuse;

upper glumes and lower lemmas 5-6 mm, exceeding the upper florets by 3-4 mm, 9-13-veined;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas 1.5-2 mm, acute;

upper florets 1.6-2 mm long, 1-1.1 mm wide, smooth, chestnut brown when mature.

- 36, 40, 45, 54.

= 36.