Flora of North America species comparison

60-160 cm, swollen at the base.

10-170 cm.

1.5-6 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, ovoid to cylindrical, often purplish, often truncate at the base;

branches not evident, spikelets borne singly, not clustered.

2-20 cm long, 0.6-1.5 cm wide, cylindrical, discontinuous, sometimes lobed;

branches sometimes evident, spikelets borne singly, not clustered.

homogamous, with 3 florets, terminal floret bisexual;

disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the sterile florets.

homogamous, with 3 florets, terminal floret bisexual;

disarticulation above the glumes, beneath the sterile florets.

5-8 mm long, 0.9-1.6 mm wide, acute to acuminate, keels not or only narrowly winged distally, wings to 0.2 mm wide, scabrous, lateral veins conspicuous, smooth;

sterile florets 2, equal or subequal, 1.8-3.5 mm, usually more than 1/2 as long as the bisexual florets, densely hairy;

bisexual florets 3.5-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, sparsely hairy, shiny, stramineous, becoming darker at maturity, apices acute to weakly acuminate;

anthers 3-3.5 mm.

2-6 mm long, 0.6-1.1 mm wide, rectangular, often purplish, keels winged, scabrous, wings about 0.4 mm wide, smooth, lateral veins conspicuous, scabrous, apices mucronate;

sterile florets 2, equal, 0.5-1.5 mm, linear, sparsely and inconspicuously hairy;

bisexual florets 2-3.8 mm long, 0.9-1.5 mm wide, laterally compressed, hairy, particularly distally, shiny, apices tapering;

anthers 0.5-1.3 mm.

3-5(8) mm, truncate to acute, irregularly erose;

blades 5-35 (40) cm long, 3-12(18) mm wide, smooth.

4-7 mm, truncate to rounded or obtuse, lacerate;

blades 3-15 cm long, 2-12 mm wide.

= 28.

= 14.