Flora of North America species comparison

5-65 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

50-80 cm, erect.

glabrous, sparsely long pubescent distally;

ligules 1-2 mm;

blades to 14 cm long, 1.8-11.5 mm wide, flat or conduplicate, glabrous or pubescent, apices involute.

glabrous, pubescent apically, margins scarious;

ligules 1-2 mm, membranous, lacerate;

blades 3-4 mm wide, flat, glabrous, pubescent behind the ligules, margins papillose-ciliate.

terminal, usually composed of a digitate pair of branches, a third branch sometimes present below;

branches 1.4-7 cm, diverging, often arcuate;

branch axes 1.2-2.2 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

terminal, erect, a spicate raceme 7-15 cm long, or a panicle with 1-2 subterminal spicate branches that are wholly or partially enclosed in the upper sheath, often arcuate;

branches terminating in a spikelet.

2.4-3.2 mm long, 1.1-1.6 mm wide, solitary (rarely paired), appressed to the branch axes, broadly elliptic, stramineous, sometimes partially purple.

2.7-3 mm, paired, imbricate, obovate, stramineous.

absent or, if present, to 1 mm and triangular;

upper glumes sparsely and shortly pubescent on the back, 3-veined;

lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined;

upper florets stramineous.

absent, or 1-2.3 mm;

upper glumes and lower lemmas glabrous, 3-veined, margins entire;

lower lemma lacking ribs over the veins;

lower florets often staminate;

lower paleas 2.5-2.9 mm, membranous;

upper florets 2.3-2.9 mm, white, stramineous, or golden brown.

1.9-2.1 mm, yellow.

= 20, 30, 40, 48, 60, 61.

= 40.