Flora of North America species comparison

40-150 cm, glabrous, often branching at the lower cauline nodes;

basal branching extravaginal.

20-50 cm, internodes smooth to scabridulous;

nodes glabrate;

basal branching intravaginal.

not basally concentrated;

sheaths glabrous, persistent;

ligules of lower leaves 0.5-1.5 mm, truncate;

ligules of upper leaves 1.5-4 mm, rounded to sharply acute;

blades 5-30 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, flat, smooth on both surfaces.

basally concentrated;

ligules 1.8-5.5 mm, hyaline, acute, often lacerate;

blades 4-16 cm long, 1-2.5 mm wide when flat, 0.6-1 mm in diameter when involute, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabridulous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous.

10-40 cm, lax, lower nodes either with 3-7 branches bearing 10-40 functional spikelets, or with 15-30+ branches with no functional spikelets;

primary branches spreading to ascending;

lower branches 3-8 cm;

secondary branches diverging from the primary branches.

3.3-22 cm, lower nodes with 1-2(4) branches;

branches 1.8-11.6 cm, flexuous, initially appressed, becoming strongly divergent to reflexed, secondary and tertiary branches appressed to the primary branches.

2.5-3.5 mm, acuminate, 3-veined;

florets 1.5-2 mm, dorsally compressed;

calluses about 0.3 mm, glabrous, disarticulation scars circular;

lemmas stiffly membranous, glabrous, margins fused at the base, not overlapping, light brown at maturity;

awns 3-4 mm;

anthers 2-2.5 mm, penicillate;

ovaries rounded, bearing two styles.

subequal, 3.2-5.3 mm, exceeding the florets by 0.2-1.5 mm, ovate to broadly lanceolate, 1-9-veined, apices acute to acuminate;

florets 2.4-4.1 mm, dorsally compressed;

calluses about 0.3 mm, hairy, disarticulation scars round;

lemmas coriaceous, evenly pubescent, hairs to 0.5 mm, becoming tawny with age, margins not overlapping at maturity;

awns 1-2.5 mm, straight or slightly arcuate, caducous;

paleas 2.1-3.6 mm, similar to the lemmas in texture and pubescence;

anthers 1.7-2.2 mm, penicillate;

ovaries truncate, bearing 2 styles.

1.5-1.7 mm long, about 0.8 mm thick;

hila linear, about 1/2 as long as the caryopses.

1.8-2 mm long, about 0.8 mm thick;

hila linear, about 9/10 the length of the caryopses.

= 24.

= 20.