Flora of North America species comparison

35-150 cm, stout, compressed.

(10)50-140 cm, stout, stiffly erect, branched from the middle and lower nodes;

lower nodes sericeous;

lower internodes sericeous, hairs papillose-based, upper internodes sometimes glabrous.

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.

rounded, glabrous or sparsely to densely hispid, hairs not fragile and prickly, not causing skin irritation, margins ciliate;

ligules 1-3 mm;

blades 3-60 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, flat or involute, ascending, adaxial surfaces densely hirsute basally, less densely so elsewhere, bases attenuate, apices acute.

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)15-40 cm long, (3)10-25 cm wide, about 1/3 – 1/2 as long as the plants, open, breaking at the base of the peduncles at maturity and dispersed as tumbleweeds, secondary branching mostly confined to the distal 1/3 of the primary branches;

rachises densely hispid or glabrous;

lower primary branches in whorls of 4-7, stiffly spreading, naked on the lower 1/2;

pedicels 3-20 mm, appressed.

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

2-3 mm long, 0.8-1.2 mm wide, glabrous.

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.

1-1.6 mm, 5-veined, acuminate;

upper glumes and lower lemmas similar, 2-2.8 mm, 7-9-veined, exceeding the upper florets by about 0.3 mm;

lower florets sterile;

lower paleas 1.4-2.2 mm;

upper florets 1.5-1.9 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, smooth, chestnut brown at maturity.

=18.

= 36.