Flora of North America species comparison

15-60 cm, erect or spreading, bases bulbous.

5-30(40) cm tall, 0.3-0.7 mm thick, erect or the bases geniculate;

nodes terete, usually 1 exserted.

closed for about 1/4 their length, terete, lowest sheaths with swollen bases;

ligules 1-3 mm, smooth or scabrous, apices obtuse to acute;

blades 1-2.5 mm wide, flat, thin, lax, soon withering.

closed for 1/10 – 1/2 their length, terete or weakly compressed, smooth;

ligules 0.7-5 mm, decurrent, truncate to acute;

blades of innovations and culms similar, 2-5(8) cm long, 0.6-2.8 mm wide, flat or folded, thin, soft, smooth, margins scabrous, apices narrowly prow-shaped.

intravaginal.

3-12 cm, ovoid;

nodes with 2-5 branches;

branches ascending to spreading, terete, usually smooth or sparsely scabrous, infrequently moderately scabrous.

2-9.6 cm, erect, eventually open, moderately to densely congested, with 1-4(7) branches per node;

branches eventually ascending to spreading, rarely reflexed, terete, smooth or sparsely scabrous, spikelet-bearing to near the base or middle.

3-5 mm, laterally compressed, usually bulbiferous;

florets 3-7, the basal floret, and sometimes additional florets, normal;

rachilla internodes smooth, glabrous.

(2)2.4-4.5 mm, laterally compressed;

florets (1)2-6;

rachilla internodes usually shorter than 0.7 mm, smooth or scabrous, glabrous.

keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes 3-veined;

upper glumes shorter than or subequal to the lowest lemmas;

calluses webbed or glabrous;

lemmas 3-4 mm, lanceolate, keeled, glabrous or the keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, intercostal regions glabrous or softly puberulent, apices acute;

paleas scabrous, keels often softly puberulent at midlength;

anthers 1.2-1.5 mm and functional, sometimes aborted late in development, sometimes not developed.

subequal, about 3/4 as long as to subequal to the adjacent lemmas, lanceolate, thin, distinctly keeled, keels scabrous;

lower glumes 1-3-veined;

calluses webbed;

lemmas 1.9-3 mm, broadly lanceolate, distinctly keeled, smooth, keels and marginal veins short- to long-villous, hairs on the keels extending to near the apices, lateral veins obscure, usually softly puberulent, intercostal regions usually sparsely softly puberulent, apices obtuse to acute;

palea keels softly puberulent to long-villous at midlength, scabrous near the apices;

anthers 1, 0.1-0.2(0.3) mm.

= 14, 21, 28, 39, 42, 45.

= unknown.